Orlando International Airport is a major public airport located in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The airport is listed as number one in Orlando and holds 10th position regarding the level of business activity in the US (Leder & Sproule, 2013). Additionally, Orlando International Airport serves multiple airlines such as Spirit Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. The airport is an integral international gateway and a major hub for the mid-Florida region and records over 850 flights every day on approximately 44 airlines (Leder & Sproule, 2013). Orlando International Airport stands on 12,600 acres, making it one of the largest airports in respect to land size.
Airport History and Facts
The creation of Orlando International Airport dates back during World War 2. The airport began as Pinecastle Army Airfield, which was an auxiliary airfield adjacent to Orlando Amy Airbase. After World War II ended, Pinecastle Army Field, now Orlando International Airport served as a base for unpowered Bell X-1 glide tests (Orlando International Airport, 2020). The airfield was momentarily placed in caretaker status and later reactivated to serve as a base during the Korean War (Orlando International Airport, 2020). The military used the airport as a Strategic Air Command center for Stratotanker aircraft KC-97 and Stratojet B-47 (Orlando International Airport, 2020). The airfield continued to serve as an Air Force facility. It was afterward rebranded as Pinecastle AFB and later renamed as McCoy Air Force Base operated by the US Air Force.
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Figure 1.1 Orlando AFB in the 1960s
Source: Sembach Missileers (n.d)
Commercial jet airline service was set up in Orlando in the 1960s, which led to the conversion of Pinecastle AFB to a joint civil-military facility. The state of Orlando had another airport called Orlando Municipal Airport, which was later renamed to Herndon Airport. However, Orlando municipal airport could not accommodate first commercial jetliners such as Boeing 720, Convair 880, and the Douglas DC-8, which needed sturdier and longer runways (Orlando International Airport, 2020). The nearby lakes next to Orlando municipal Airport made expansion impractical. In 1962, the US air force and the Orlando city signed a concession under a civil-military agreement that allowed the use of McCoy AFB as a base for both commercial airlines and military aircraft. One of the AGM-28 hound missile maintenance grounds was converted into a civilian air terminal to allow landing and departure of commercial aircraft (Orlando International Airport, 2020). In exchange, the city of Orlando would finance the construction of an alternative missile reconstruction base on the western side of the airfield (Orlando International Airport, 2020). Upon completion, the facility was named Orlando Jetport and would run its operations alongside McCoy AFB.
Figure 1.3 Orlando AFB in 1970s
Source: Sembach Missileers (n.d)
The US air force contingent departed from the airfield, and in 1975 the city of Orlando purchased the land where McCoy AFB stood leading to full commencement of chartered flights (Orlando International Airport, 2020). The Orlando city established the Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) to serve as an enterprise body and a chartered governmental state agency (Orlando International Airport, 2020). The city of Orlando mandated the Orlando Aviation Authority to manage, oversee, and operate the expansion as well as construction that would improve the Orlando International Airport (Orlando International Airport, 2020). After a significant facelift, the airport received international status and was named Orlando International Airport in 1976 (Orlando International Airport, 2020). However, the airport retained the old IATA and ICAO airport codes abbreviated as MCO and KMCO, respectively.
The year 1978 saw the north terminal's completion, a year when the airport recorded five million passengers for the first time. The building of airside 1 and 3, as well as the Landside Terminal, commenced in 1978 and was commissioned in 1981 (Orlando International Airport, 2020). Airside 1 accommodated the International Concourse and was activated in 1984. Fund bonding took place in 1986, which allowed the refurbishment of the east side of the Orlando airport and the Runway 17/35, which was later renamed 17R/35L (Richard et al., 2017). In 1989, the airport opened its third parallel runway . Airside 4 containing the International Concourse that facilitated overseas flight processing opened in 1990. The airport construction and improvement led to the spending of more than $500 million by 1990. Further, additional upgrades ensued between 1990 and 2000, costing an estimated $900 million, which positioned Orlando Internal Airport as a leader in the world’s aviation (Orlando Airport MCO, 2020).
In 1997, a $1.2 billion funding was approved to enable expansion of the North and South Terminals. The budget allocation allowed the construction of additional parking, new airside, and airfield. Additionally, 6,100 parking spaces were added, including the Quick Park ramp. Construction of the North Terminal complex ended in 2000, while additional gates were installed in 2006 (Orlando Airport MCO, 2020). The airport acquired four runways after completion of runway 17L/35R, which was commissioned in 2003 (Orlando International Airport, 2020). A 354-foot control tower was opened in 2002. During the same year, advanced technology checkpoints were tested to improve the level of security at the airport. In 2004, the Orlando Internal Airport recorded 31.1 million passengers, which made MCO the busiest airport in Florida (Guides, n.d). In 2007, the airport facilitated the landing of A-380 aircraft, the world’s largest passenger plane where full employee screening began. In 2015, the airport commenced construction works on a new APM Intermodal Terminal Facility and South Complex . The airport introduced an E-Pass electronic parking payment system and installed a biometrics traveler register. Orlando airport also established a WI-FI internet access for the public. In the same year, JetBlue University opened a base on the airport for flight crew training sessions. Hydrogen buses were introduced to facilitate passenger transport within the airport precincts.
Figure 1.3 Modern Orlando International Airport
Source: Nobles (2019)
Conclusion
MCO has evolved to become one of the leading airports and an international gateway not only in Florida but also in the entire United States. The airport first served as Pinecastle Army Airfield during the Second World War. The airport started hosting commercial flights in 1962 after a concession was signed under a civil-military agreement. In 1975, the US air force contingent left airfield, and in 1975 the city of Orlando purchased the land where McCoy AFB stood leading to full commencement of chartered flights. After being acquired by city of Orlando, the airport has since undergone major expansion and improvement. Orlando International Airport’s rich history is an embodiment of success that showcases the evolution of a mere air force base to an airport with an international status.
References
Orlando Airport MCO. (2020). Orlando International Airport (MCO), History, Facts and Overview. Retrieved 25 June 2020, from http://www.orlando-mco.airports-guides.com/mco_history.html
Leder, W. H., & Sproule, W. J. (2013, August 12). Airport APMs—History and Future . In Automated People Movers and Transit Systems 2013: Half a Century of Automated Transit (pp.14-37). Retrieved 25 June 2020, from https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784412862.002
Nobles, R.W. (2019, October 24). Orlando Weekly , Orlando International has the longest U.S. customs wait time of any airport in the U.S. Retrieved 25 June 2020, from https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2019/10/24/orlando-international-has-the-longest-us-customs-wait-time-of-any-airport-in-the-us
Richard, B., Orlowski, M., & Kaak, K. (2017, March 15). The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Travel and Tourism . New York, NY: Sage, (pp. 917-918). Retrieved 25 June 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brendan_Richard/publication/266146269_Orlando_United_States_Encyclopedia_Entry/links/5bd78205a6fdcc3a8dae7a43/Orlando-United-States-Encyclopedia-Entry.pdf
Sembach Missileers. (n.d). Orlando AFB (1960s) . Retrieved 25 June 2020, from
https://www.sembachmissileers.org/photos/places-2/orlando-afb-1960s-2/
Sembach Missileers. (n.d). Training Daze at Orlando AFB. Retrieved on 25 June 2020, from https://www.sembachmissileers.org/training-daze-at-orlando-afb/
Orlando International Airport. (2020). Airport history . Retrieved 25 June 2020 , from https://orlandoairportmco.com/history.php
