By Jim Carchidi
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) is moving forward with new plans aimed at growing revenue and upgrading experiences at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Orlando Executive Airport (ORL).
GOAA board members during their October 15 meeting approved a slate of projects based on achieving goals in four key areas: customer experience, community, infrastructure, and people. Plans were first presented at the board's vision and strategy workshop on October 8 with completion dates ranging between five and 10 years.
GOAA board members meet on October 15.
Customer Experience
First on the customer experience list is achieving a 5-star rating by Skytrax, the airline and airport industry consultants that rates the quality of products and services. The plan also outlines safety upgrades that include increasing emergency staff and implementing perimeter intrusion detection systems. The plan also introduces a real estate element with a goal of activating 60% of the vacant State Road 50 properties neighboring ORL by 2035 with the intent of maximizing revenue. No locations or potential commercial uses are currently specified but uses that advance the GOAA strategic mission will be prioritized.
Community
The community plan calls for a 30% increase in revenue generated by commercial activities not directly related to flights, such as retail, food services, car parking, and advertising. There is also the goal of adding at least one new cargo processing facility by 2030 and opening a seasonal outdoor entertainment area, dubbed The Park at MCO, by 2036. The board also voted to preserve SunRail right of way at MCO and participate as a regional partner in bringing the commuter rail service to the MCO property.
The infrastructure plan calls for the completion of the Terminal C Phase 2 expansions by 2035. Image courtesy of Orlando International Airport.
Infrastructure
Among the infrastructure improvements is the addition of 8,000 public parking spaces at MCO North and South terminals by 2030. A common-use self-service bag drop will be installed at all Terminal C ticketing counters by 2028 and a new baggage handling system will be implemented at the North Terminal by 2030. Terminal C Phase 2 is also expected to be complete by 2035, adding between 16 and 24 aircraft gates. Another people mover is expected at Terminal C by 2030.
People
An airport business incubator will be launched by 2030 with the intent of increasing the number of small businesses working with MCO by 40%. There is also the goal of implementing employee professional development initiatives in 2026 and achieving an employee engagement score of 90% by 2030.
According to October 15 meeting documents, the overall financial impact of the initiatives has yet to be determined, but individual projects will be prioritized and integrated into the GOAA budget as cost estimates are finalized.
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