Orlando International Airport Named Overall Winner at Routes Americas 2026 Awards
Orlando International Airport (MCO) has been named the overall winner at the Routes Americas 2026 Awards, recognizing the airport’s performance in air service development and route expansion across the Americas.
The award was presented during the Routes Americas conference in Rio de Janeiro, where MCO also took top honors in the category for airports serving more than 20 million passengers annually.
The awards program recognizes airports, airlines and destinations that demonstrate strong collaboration and performance in developing new air service. Winners are selected through a judging process involving airline representatives and industry experts.
Orlando International Airport handled 57.7 million passengers in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic traffic levels and representing a 13% increase compared with 2019. During the year, the airport added 45 new and expanded routes across its network.
The expansion included new international service to markets such as Hamilton, Lima, Paris, Munich and Madrid. The airport now offers more than 160 nonstop destinations across domestic and international markets.
Airport officials also highlighted a milestone announcement of charter service connecting Orlando with Tokyo, marking the first direct service linking Florida to Japan and a step toward strengthening connectivity between the region and Asia.
Routes Americas is an annual industry forum focused on air service development across North, Central and South America. The event brings together airports, airlines, tourism authorities and aviation stakeholders to discuss network planning and route opportunities.
Other award recipients recognized at the event included Curaçao International Airport, Calgary International Airport, ProColombia and LATAM Airlines Group.
Curaçao International Airport received the award in the under five million passenger category after recording its strongest year on record with 2.46 million passengers in 2025. Calgary International Airport won in the five to 20 million passenger category after welcoming 19.4 million passengers and launching 15 new routes during the year.
ProColombia was recognized with the destination award following a year of record international connectivity, while LATAM Airlines Group received the airline award after carrying more than 87 million passengers across its network in 2025.
The Routes Americas awards are part of the broader Routes events program, which focuses on route development and airline network planning across global aviation markets.