Lakeland Linder International Airport sees more business as more companies move to Central Florida
LAKELAND, Fla. - Lakeland Linder International Airport is seeing more business and corporate jets on its runways as more businesses move to the Central Florida area.
More than 65 businesses currently call the airport home, including a major one – Amazon Air, which lands more than 860 million pounds of cargo.
The airport was the 38th busiest air cargo airport in the country in 2022, right behind major airports like Tampa and Orlando. All this business is having a major impact on the local economy.
"Originally our economic impact was somewhere around $274 million in that 2011 range," Adam Lunn, the airport's assistant director. "We've increased all the way up to $1.5 billion annually today."
The airport has 14,000 more landings and takeoffs this year to date compared to this time last year, so they expect to eclipse 150,000 landings and takeoffs by the end of the year.
And as the area continues to grow, airport officials believe it will be able to offer commercial air service in the future. The airport also supports NOAA Hurricane Hunting, Air Charter Business and Tourism from the Caribbean.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation have invested in the airport's infrastructure over the last 10 years, which has allowed them to accommodate different aircraft.