As much of the west coast of Florida and Tampa Bay area braces for high winds and storm surge from the approaching storm, Tampa International Airport remains operational as it makes its own preparations.
The Airport may begin shutting down parts of its airfield and facilities in the next 24 to 48 hours as expected Hurricane Ian impacts and wind speeds increase and weather becomes more severe. At 40 mph sustained winds, TPA will see minimal activity, with the airside shuttles and SkyConnect stopping or reducing in frequency. At 50 mph sustained winds, all Airport operations stop.
While TPA is in an evacuation zone, as critical infrastructure, the Airport is exempt from the storm evacuation order and will stay open until a closure is necessary. The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, which operates TPA and three General Aviation airports, remains in close coordination with the National Weather Service, our airlines and other airport partners, and will give travelers and the community as much notice as possible when that determination is made.
As a reminder, the Airport is not a shelter and does not have the resources to shelter people or vehicles during a storm. F
Passengers should get their latest flight schedule information directly from their airlines, which make their own determination about schedule changes. The public may also access data from FlightAware to keep an eye on flight operations.
As always, TPA will post the most accurate and timely information regarding overall Airport operations on Twitter at @FlyTPA.
