Orlando international airport has received approval for a $1.1 billion improvement project, according to NBC News. The project is being partially financed by $543.5 million in revenue bonds.
The expansion is intended to meet the increased tourism demand that is linked to the theme parks in the area.
"This community is exploding," Frank Kruppbacher, the chairman of the Greater Orlando Airport Authority (GOAA), told NBC News. "We've got to be prepared for it because it's coming."
Orlando International airport is the 13th busiest airport in the nation, according to GOAA executive director Phil Brown. The airport receives 1.8 million international arrivals.
The bonds supporting the expansion are backed by general revenues that will be derived from airport concessions as well as by charges for passenger facilities that have been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to the project budget.
The improvements to the airport include four additional international gates, upgrades to the ticket hall and baggage screening areas, an automated people mover and a rail terminal. The terminal is to accommodate All Aboard Florida, a project that is being privately financed to provide train service between Orlando and Miami.
The improvements will bring the airport's capacity to 45 million passengers, according to the airport authority news release.
The current facilities was designed to accommodate 24 million passengers and opened beginning in 1981, a decade after Walt Disney World Theme Park was opened. There were previous expansions in 1991 and 2009, according to GOAA.
Current projections expect passenger traffic to hit in excess of 40 million by 2016, when a new section of the Disney theme park, Avatar Land, is scheduled to open. The new park is based on the popular film, which has sequels planned.
There is also an additional plan to begin the final construction process on an additional terminal that will cost a projected $1 billion. The financing for that terminal hasn't yet been disclosed. This construction is not scheduled to begin until the airport reaches annual traffic of 40 million passengers.
Video of Orlando airport.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
