Florida airport sees a slowdown after years of growth. Why?
Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald (TNS)
Sat, February 7, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
2 min read
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Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has experienced a decline in total passengers served over a full year for the first time since the pandemic in a sign of softening tourism in South Florida, one of the region’s biggest sources of employment and cash.
After four consecutive years of growth, FLL in 2025 saw an 8.5% decline to 32.2 million passengers when compared to 2024. That’s according to data released by FLL and Broward County.
When excluding 2020, the year COVID-19 arrived, 2025 produced the airport’s first yearly decline in passengers since 2013 in what had been a remarkable run and made Fort Lauderdale and Broward County a serious competitor to Miami-Dade County for tourists or travelers.
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FLL’s drops were seen for both domestic and international passengers. Travelers within the U.S. dropped by 6.6% to 26 million. International visitors, key to the region, fell by 16% to 6.2 million.
The airport’s most popular airlines were not spared from the slowdown.
Spirit Airlines, FLL’s top carrier, had a decline of 18.3%. JetBlue Airways, at No. 2, experienced a 2.9% drop. Third-place Delta Air Lines’ volume fell 1%. And Southwest, at No. 4, dropped 24.1%.
FLL officials weren’t available Monday to respond to requests for comment. But in the airport’s newsletter for December 2025, Mark Gale, CEO and director of aviation for the Broward County Aviation Department, wrote: “While traffic declined ... to achieve this travel volume is noteworthy amid ongoing operational and financial challenges at select airline.”
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He was referring to Spirit, which is in bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in under one year.
FLL was also affected by Southwest shifting international flights to Orlando International Airport and a drop in international visitors who see the U.S. as a less welcoming place to visit under President Donald Trump’s policies. Canadians especially, during first half of 2025, came to Florida less than they normally do.
Miami International Airport’s full-year figures aren’t yet available.
Despite the overall slowdown, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport saw some new service in 2025.
In December, Haiti’s Sunrise Airways began three-times-a-week service, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between Fort Lauderdale and Cap-Haïtien. Sunrise is the only commercial airline with direct flights between Haiti’s northern coast and the U.S.
Hoping to get more Canadians back to South Florida, Porter Airlines started winter season direct flights in December between Hamilton International Airport in Ontario and FLL.