Orlando International Airport wants to make parking easier by adding 8,000 more spots by 2030, addressing a common complaint from visitors who say finding open spaces can be tough.
The parking expansion is part of a $5.9 billion capital improvement program at Florida’s busiest airport, which welcomed over 57 million flyers last year. The initiative also includes a new system for reserving some parking spots and a new parking guidance system to help drivers find open places for their vehicles. Both systems are currently being installed.
The improvements will relieve some headaches for frequent visitors like Luis Figueroa, who said he picks up family members visiting from Puerto Rico at the airport as often as every two weeks.
Sometimes finding parking is a breeze, he said. Other times, like during spring break or the winter holiday season, it is a struggle. At Christmas, Figueroa said it took him roughly 45 minutes to find parking.
“I’m glad they’re doing it because it’s convenient for the people,” said Figueroa, who was on the way to pick up a relative at the airport on Monday.
The project will add spots to the parking garages attached to Terminals A and C. It will add onto the approximately 11,000 current spaces in the airport’s four garages and 23,000 available across its entire campus.
“This decision is about listening to our customers, tenants, and our community, adapting to changing needs, and investing where it matters most,” said Lance Lyttle, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, the board which oversees the airport, in a statement.
Travelers walk to the parking garage at Terminal C of the Orlando International Airport, on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
Angela Starke, a spokeswoman for GOAA, said the garages at the airport are often at capacity because of the region’s growing population. More parking spots should help relieve congestion at the airport and, therefore, improve road safety, she added.
There is not an estimated opening date for the garage expansions yet.
Not finding spots in the airport’s main garages can be a “huge hassle,” said Natalie Markley, who travels about once or twice a month for work. Though she’s able to find parking easily most times, when she doesn’t, she has to trek from overflow parking to the terminals.
“If I’m not already planning to go to overflow, and you get forced into overflow, it’s like a 30-minute delay,” said Markley, who had just parked in one of the garages before jetting off on Monday.
The airport is also now turning about 1,500 spaces in the Terminal Top Parking Garage into reserved parking, which flyers can book ahead of time before coming to the airport.
And the new parking guidance system should help visitors track open spots in all airport garages. Through the airport’s website, official app, and signage in the garages and on the roads, drivers will be able to find to find real-time information on available parking.
That system will be operational in Garage C this year, while installation at the other three garages is expected to continue through next year.
The $5.9 billion improvement plan is meant to make flyers’ lives easier in other ways as well, like replacing boarding passes with facial recognition technology and connecting the airport to the SunRail commuter line. Other changes include a $72 million renovation of the airport’s restrooms and a $650 million upgrade of the airport’s baggage-handling system.