DATE: March 15, 2017
MEDIA CONTACT: Greg Meyer, Aviation Public Information Officer
PHONE: 954-359-6116
EMAIL: gmeyer@broward.org
BROWARD COUNTY, FL - Broward County's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's (FLL) passengers benefited in 2016 with flying options to 31 new or additional flights to 26 domestic and international destinations. These new flights contributed to a record year with 29.2 million passengers in 2016. This is 2.3 million more passengers than 2015 and an 8.4 percent increase. In 2016, 126,541 commercial flights departed FLL.
"FLL continues to grow busier and drive the South Florida economy," said Mark Gale, CEO/Director of Aviation. "In just the last two years, passenger totals have grown by 4.6 million. We anticipate 2017 will be even better with new facilities opening and passenger growth is projected to reach 32 million."
It was also a historic year with the first commercial flights to Cuba in more than 50 years. By the end of 2016, JetBlue, Silver, Southwest and Spirit Airlines offered flights to nine Cuban cities.
Another historic event occurred in December 2016 when Emirates Airlines started flights to/from Dubai. This is the first nonstop flight from FLL to the Middle East. South Florida travelers in Dubai can connect to Emirates' 150+ global destinations in more than 80 countries on six continents. Travelers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa now have a convenient nonstop flight from Dubai to FLL.
In addition to Emirates, seven airlines started new or additional flights including Allegiant, Delta, JetBlue, Norwegian, Silver, Southwest and Spirit.
With the increase in flights, both domestic and international traffic grew. Domestic passengers totaled 23.1 million, an increase of 8 percent over last year. Additionally, FLL's international traffic grew by 10.1 percent over last year with a total of 6.1 million passengers. 2016 marked FLL's 3rd consecutive year of double-digit international growth.
Other new or additional international destinations include: Nassau, Bahamas; Bridgetown, Barbados; Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Ceinfuegos, Havana, Holguin, Manzanillo, Santa Clara, Santiago and Varadero Cuba; Quito, Ecuador; Paris, France and Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe.
For domestic U.S. cities, these are the new or additional flights in 2016: San Diego, CA; Fort Walton/Destin, FL; New Orleans, LA; Niagara Falls, NY; Ogdensburg, NY; Newark, NJ; Akron/Canton, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; Nashville, TN and Seattle, WA.
The Broward County Aviation Department anticipates 2017 will experience similar growth in passengers.
For the Monthly Statistical Summary, please visit our web site.
About Broward's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
The Aviation Department is a self-supporting department of Broward County Board of County Commissioners. FLL is located in South Florida in the heart of Greater Fort Lauderdale's Gold Coast. The Airport is ranked 21st in the United States in total passenger traffic and 15th in domestic origin and destination passengers. With more than 700 flights a day, the Airport offers nonstop service to more than 70 U.S. cities and international service to Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. The Aviation Department also operates the North Perry Airport, a general aviation airport for private and charter aircraft operators. Call 954-359-6100 for more information. For updates on airport programs and services, follow us on Twitter@FLLFlyer, like us on Facebook or visit fll.net.