USA. The new Orlando International Airport Terminal C opened to the public today (21 September). The US$2.8 billion project, which took five years to complete, features 15 new gates and an 80,000sq ft retail and food & beverage concessions programme.
The expansion increases the travel hub’s passenger capacity by +25% or 10-12 million annual passengers.
The first flight to be served by the new terminal landed today, with the arrival of an Aer Lingus flight from Manchester, UK.
Other airlines with a base at Terminal C include Azul, British Airways, Caribbean Airlines, Emirates, GOL, Icelandair, Lufthansa and Norse. The anchor carrier is JetBlue.
It is estimated these ten Terminal C airlines will generate an annual economic impact to Central Florida of over US$5.6 billion dollars.
The new terminal features 33 retail and food & beverage concepts including local and national brands. See our story with full details of the concessions programme here.
Other features of the new terminal include state-of-the-art RFID (radio frequency identification) tags on all baggage; automated TSA screening lanes; and more than 1000 video display screens providing directional and flight information.
Terminal C has been designed for certification as one of the first LEEDv4 airport campuses.
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Chief Executive Officer Kevin Thibault said: “This day has been a long time coming but we’re finally here. Terminal C is open and what a benefit it is to the community.
“This state-of-the-art terminal is leading the way to a truly intermodal future for all of Central Florida, where passengers will be able to take a plane, a train or an automobile from one location. Today, the vision has become reality.”
