Miami International Airport is one of the biggest airports in the U.S. It was first established in 1928, and majorly serves citizens of the Caribbean and Latin countries. It is found in the Southern part of Florida between Miami city, Hialeah, Doral and Miami springs.
It covers approximately 3,300 acres of land. This airport is managed by the Miami-Dade Aviation unit, but is owned by the Miami-Dade County government. Since it is used for both travel and cargo transportation, it is known to be a very busy airport.
In comparison with the U.S airports, Miami ranked at the 1st and 2nd position in freight and passenger transportation. This is the reason why it has been placed in the 6th position for the various operations undertaken and 12th total number of passengers recorded.
However, globally Miami International Airport stands at the 9th position for international cargo, 26th for the total number of international travelers received and 23rd for different activities involved.
Majority of passengers are from Europe, America and Asia. This explains why many aircrafts are accommodated in the airport. These include the FedEx Express and UPS that are used in transporting luggage. It also harbors the LAN and Avianca aircrafts that deal in both passenger and cargo transportation. It is the main center for the charter airline Miami Air.
Other passenger and cargo airlines that are found in Miami International Airport are the American Eagle and America Airlines. Moreover, the airport houses the Airbus A380 jumbo jet that is only found in six other international airports in the world.
The climate conditions in Miami lie between temperatures of 25 degrees and 21 degrees. According to 2013 statistics recorded about the airport, there have been a total of 40.6 million passengers.
This entails approximately 20.4 million domestic and 20.2 million international passengers. On average, the daily number of passengers the airport records is approximately 800,000. This is inclusive of the weekly daily average of 120,000 and every weekend average of 116,000 passengers who use the airport. This data shows how the airport is well utilized and serves a lot of people.
Statistics on the quantity of freight transported in the airport is about 1.8 million and 258,000 U.S. tons from international and domestic destinations respectively. This amounts to a total value of 2.1 million U.S tons. In 2014, recent research shows that in the first quarter, the number of destinations were 139 and 12 for the Non-stop and One-stop categories.
Increase in demand for services from the airport has led to a drastic rise in traffic. The growth of the U.S economy has also contributed to the increased travel rates. So many people land and take off from the airport. It can be observed that, especially in peak seasons, the airport receives more passengers that it can accommodate.
Movements of cargo in and out of the airport from 1995 till 2005 rose to 4 MT p.a. from the normal 2.9 MT p.a. This increase in the activities called for expansion of the airport. That is why a lot of projects aimed at increasing the capacity of the airport are underway.
Miami International Airport contributes to about $32.8 billion to the U.S economy. It has created jobs of about 272,395 in number for the U.S citizens. The funds used to run the airport come from the county government and the various businesses have been established within the airport.
The airport is headed by experienced personnel who control different units. They include areas like security matters, aviation control, food provision and airport development. The management group consists of the aviation director, who is the top above most managers. The airport has one deputy director who is referred to as Ken Pyatt and chief financial director. They are followed by the assistant and division directors.
Being a public facility, it is always open to any citizen. Other services rendered in the airport enhance the travel experience of any traveler. There are a number of facilities offered by the airport. Ample parking areas totaling 8,724 are available to accommodate many vehicles that drive into the airport. On the departure unit, there is a whole day valet parking lot. Moreover, 60 areas have been preserved for vehicles that are not for hire and garage parking. Along the 45th avenue are located ample 554 spaces for Economy Park and Ride Lot services.
Another important facility is the training unit. It offers learning opportunities for upcoming pilots. Lessons and practices on how to land and fly planes are given. There are runways that facilitate these exercises. Arrivals facilities are also strategically located in the airport. These terminals can serve many people at a time. The conference rooms give more value and popularity to the airport. Hotels are also provided for passengers who await their flights. Buses and taxis carry people to different areas within the airport. They are, however, located near the arrival points.
A lot of environmental issues are associated with airports. The main objective of the airport is to offer quality services to their clients. However, the environmental effects are considered. Prevention of air and soil pollution is done through minimization of costs associated with their operations.
Miami International Airport educates their staff on environmental conservation. It assures a good working environment for employees and clients. To support these claims, the environmental department has incorporated systems that are used to control the environmental issues.
Noise is another environmental problem that the Miami-Dade Aviation unit is trying to minimize. In the maintenance department lie the noise evasion officers. They ensure proper collaboration with the nearby local governments and public organizations in reducing noise. Several strategies have been put in place to deal with this menace.
The major obstacle to the development of the airport is due to the rising number of accidents. Plane crashes have been attributed to increased costs for purchasing new ones. This hinders the improvement of other essential sections that may bring more profit. Majority of these accidents have led to loss of many lives. This is not a good image for the international airport.
Fire is also a crucial problem that the airport has tried to curb. Sometimes when airplanes are taking off, technical problems may result in fire. The aircraft is damaged in such a way that repair work is impossible. Moreover, some parts of the airport may burn in the process of taking off.
The airport plans to increase the terminals to target a large number of people and reduce congestion. The terminals will facilitate easier movement in the airport. This is also done through linking the garage and terminals.
The Boulevard section is yet to be expanded so as to allow quicker exit and entry into the airport. These changes will reduce high traffic that has been experienced in past years. Levels of congestion are expected to be minimal after the project is completed. The plan involves construction of bridges and roads, placing light on pathways and repairing drainage systems.
The airport has also tried to improve services offered by trains. Customers can access other terminals easily and in a very short time by using trains. From these terminals, customers can choose the type of vehicle they want to rent. There is a wide directory on the alternative cars to choose from.
The airport also plans to improve the hiring system to facilitate faster washing of vehicles. The aim is to present many vehicle washing places, thus reducing delays. It is through the use of a mover that service provision has improved. Passengers do not need to wait for a longer time for vehicles for hire. Since a mover is quick and very efficient. This is the latest development plan that stands in place of hiring vehicles. It moves with high speed and consequently, many passengers are carried within a shorter time. Reduction of vehicles on the airport roads is an advantage, especially to environmental controllers. There is minimized discharge of carbon gas into the air.
Furthermore, construction of roads in the underground section is underway. This will be very beneficial to citizens who can access the airport through underground ways. Link will be created between Palm Beach County and Miami. This move also encourages minimal congestion in the airport and surrounding areas. All these developmental projects in the airport are considered to be long term, because of the vast requirements needed to accomplish them.
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