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Tampa International Airport and Orlando International Airport, two of the state’s busiest airports, will reopen and return to normal operations on Friday, Oct. 11.
Sarasota-Bradenton and Palm Beach International aren’t ready to roll yet.
Tampa International, which will reopen at 8 a.m., got the all clear after workers assessed damage and determined the state’s fifth busiest airport is ready for travelers again, The airport closed Tuesday before Hurricane Milton’s hit Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Tampa airport officials found surrounding “roadways are clear and parking garages are in good shape.” The air traffic control tower “is ready for full operations,” a statement said.
Tampa International, which served a record 24 million passengers in 2023, did suffer some damage.
“The extreme wind gusts and heavy rainfall from Hurricane Milton affected several areas of our campus that will need repairs,” airport leaders said in a statement. The airport’s fuel depot lost power and is running on a generator. And six boarding bridges that take passengers onto planes were damaged by high winds. Debris is still being cleared and parts of the main terminal have leaks.
Even before it reopens to the public Friday, the airport is trying accommodate emergency relief flights. It expects to also have crew-only commercial flights Thursday evening to prepare for Friday’s reopening.
Orlando International Airport will reopen Friday morning after suspending commercial and cargo flights the morning of Oct. 9.
The airport, which had minor damage with a few leaks and downed trees, will begin receiving domestic arrival flights on Thursday evening but is recommending the general public not go to the airport until Friday.
Here’s a rundown of what’s happening at the state’ major airports:
Tampa
The airport will reopen at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11 at 8 a.m. after shutting down at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Orlando
The airport will reopen “as normal” on Friday morning, Oct. 11 after suspending commercial and private flights Wednesday morning, Oct. 9.
Sarasota-Bradenton
The airport said its goal is to reopen on Saturday morning, Oct. 12. SRQ sustained roof damage over Concourse B including the screening checkpoint, the airport said in a statement on Thursday. Several aircraft hangars were also damaged. The airport closed 4 p.m. Tuesday.
St. Pete-Clearwater
The airport is closed through Thursday.
Key West
“The airport is open and operating as usual,” but flights could be affected.
Palm Beach
The airport closed 9 p.m. Wednesday, with no reopening date scheduled.
Miami
The airport has remained open and operational. On Oct. 10, it had 171 cancellations due to Milton and 25 flights delayed. Its overall arrivals on time was 83% and departures on time was 89%, both above average, said Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. On Oct. 9. a total of 200 flights were canceled.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
The airport continues to be open and operational. On Oct. 10 as of 2:30 p.m. it had 92 canceled flights out of 631 total scheduled, about 15%. It had 66 delayed flights, or 11%.
How can you check your flight status?
Miami International Airport has two online trackers you can use.
One of the flight trackers shows a list of all expected arrivals and departures with options to use a drop-down menu to narrow results. It displays the carrier, flight number and where the plane is going to or coming from. It also gives real-time updates on the flight’s arrival or departure status, which concourse the terminal is in and the location of baggage claim.
The other online tool lets you track by flight or route. If you know the carrier, the date and the flight number, this tool might be easier to use because it will only show information for your flight.
FLL’s flight tracker works by flight or route. You’ll need to know the date, along with the airline carrier and flight number or the departure and arrival airport. The tool also gives people the option to see a list of all expected arrivals and departures and details on the flight’s terminal and baggage claim, too.
Tampa International Airport — and Orlando International Airport — both have similar online trackers on their websites.
You can also check your flight status with the airline directly, which might be easier to do through the airline’s app. But you can also check via the airline’s website.
Local News
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