Southwest Florida International Airport Statistics

Published Sep 9, 2026

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) is the primary air gateway for Fort Myers and the five-county Southwest Florida region, connecting the area to destinations across the United States and select international locations through multiple partner airlines.

How many passengers pass through Southwest Florida International Airport each year?

RSW handles over 11 million passengers annually, ranking among the 50 busiest airports in the United States and the fifth busiest in Florida.

In 2025, the airport served 11.15 million passengers, setting a new record and marking a 1.1% increase from 11.03 million in 2024.
In 2019, before the pandemic, the airport saw 10.23 million passengers.
Passenger traffic dropped sharply in 2020 to 5.98 million (a 41.5% decline) but rebounded to 10.32 million in 2021.
Passenger volume fluctuated slightly in the following years with 10.34 million in 2022 and 10.07 million in 2023.

Chart of annual passenger volume at RSW from 2019 to 2025 — Annual passenger traffic at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), 2019–2025.

What is the total number of aircraft operations at Southwest Florida International Airport each year?

RSW records over 85,000 aircraft movements annually, including commercial, general aviation and military operations.

In 2025, the airport logged 99,958 total movements, marking a 3% increase from 97,077 movements in 2024.
The peak was in 2021 with 101,408 operations, reflecting strong recovery demand.
In 2019, the total was 85,227.
Operations dropped to 74,901 in 2020 during the pandemic.
The following years saw 101,408 in 2021, 90,567 in 2022 and 87,685 in 2023.

Chart of total annual aircraft operations at RSW from 2019 to 2025 — Total aircraft operations at RSW by year, 2019–2025.

Which airlines operate the most flights out of Southwest Florida International Airport?

RSW is served by a mix of major and low-cost carriers, with no airline having a dominant share.

In FY 2025 (year ending September 2025), Delta Air Lines led with 20.7% of total passengers, making it the largest carrier.
Southwest Airlines followed with 17.2%, and American Airlines had 14.3%.
United Airlines accounted for 14.2%, and JetBlue Airways had 9.6%.

Chart of airline share of total passengers at RSW in fiscal year 2025 — Airline share of total passengers at RSW, FY 2025.

What are the monthly trends in passenger traffic at Southwest Florida International Airport?

Passenger traffic at RSW follows strong seasonal trends, with peak volumes in winter and early spring driven by tourism.

March was the busiest month in 2025 with 1.46 million passengers, coinciding with spring break and peak tourism season.
April and February followed with 1.18 million and 1.17 million passengers.
December saw 1.10 million passengers, boosted by holiday travel, and January had 1.07 million.
September was the slowest month with 550,259 passengers, reflecting the typical late summer lull.

Chart of monthly passenger traffic at RSW in 2025 — Monthly passenger traffic at RSW, 2025.

How many routes are there at Southwest Florida International Airport?

As of 2025, Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) offered nonstop service to more than 70 destinations across the United States, Canada, and Germany, operated by 15 different air carriers.

International routes include seasonal flights to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal (Canada) via Air Canada and WestJet, and to Frankfurt, Germany via Eurowings Discover.
Major hubs served include Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and Minneapolis.

Which destinations are the most popular from Southwest Florida International Airport?

The Atlanta, GA (ATL) route served 461,580 passengers in 2025, making it the busiest route with service from Delta and Southwest.
Chicago O'Hare, IL (ORD) served 415,360 passengers, maintaining its position as the second-busiest route with multiple carriers.
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (MSP) handled 335,390 passengers, providing essential connectivity to the Upper Midwest.
Boston, MA (BOS) carried 307,010 passengers, a key Northeast market served by multiple airlines.
Detroit, MI (DTW) served 303,040 passengers, offering important connections through Delta's hub.

Chart of the busiest routes from RSW by passenger count in 2025 — Busiest routes from RSW by passengers, 2025.

How much cargo does Southwest Florida International Airport handle annually?

Cargo operations at RSW are modest compared to major freight airports, averaging 36-42 million pounds annually, mostly as belly cargo on passenger flights.

The airport handled 37.50 million pounds in 2025, a slight decline from 37.67 million pounds in 2024.
In 2019, cargo totaled 35.68 million pounds before rising during the pandemic to 36.76 million in 2020 and peaking at 41.57 million in 2021.
Cargo moderated to 38.41 million pounds in 2022 and 38.89 million pounds in 2023 as operations normalized.

Chart of annual air cargo volume at RSW from 2019 to 2025 — Annual air cargo handled at RSW, 2019–2025.

How many cancellations occur at Southwest Florida International Airport annually?

Flight cancellation rates at RSW have improved as operations stabilized post-pandemic and post-hurricane.

In 2025, 1.30% of flights were cancelled, the lowest in recent years.
In 2020, the rate was 5.65% due to COVID-19 disruptions.
It dropped to 1.84% in 2021 as service returned to normal.
Cancellations spiked again in 2022 to 5.74%, largely due to Hurricane Ian and other operational challenges.
By 2023, the cancellation rate had improved to 1.40% before an increase to 2.30% in 2024.

Chart of the annual flight cancellation rate at RSW from 2020 to 2025 — Flight cancellation rate at RSW by year, 2020–2025.

Related Travel Statistics

What are the main causes of flight disruptions at Southwest Florida International Airport?Tropical systems and hurricanes, especially during the June–November season, such as Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Summer thunderstorms, which frequently disrupt flights from June through September.
Single-runway operations, which can halt all flights during incidents (e.g., a tire blowout in October 2022).
Winter weather at northern connecting hubs that affects inbound flights.
Airline scheduling issues, particularly during the busy winter season.

What are the notable incidents at Southwest Florida International Airport?

October 18, 2022: A United Airlines flight from Newark, reported as United Flight 2274, experienced two flat tires while landing at RSW, closing the airport’s single runway for several hours. No injuries were reported¹.
September-October 2022: Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, disrupted RSW operations. Limited flights resumed on October 5, and full operations resumed on October 11, 2022².
April 12, 2009: A Beech B200 pilot was incapacitated after departing Marco Island Airport. A pilot-rated passenger landed the aircraft safely at RSW with air traffic control assistance³.
November 28, 2007: A Mooney M20J crashed during a missed approach to Runway 6, about one mile south of RSW. The pilot was killed, and the NTSB listed the cause as undetermined⁴.

References

WGCU: RSW temporarily closed after jet blows tires on landing (2022) · wgcu.org ↑
FLCPA: RSW to resume full operations post-Ian (2022) · s3.wasabisys.com ↑
NTSB aviation report: Beech B200 incident near RSW (April 12, 2009) · data.ntsb.gov ↑
NTSB aviation report: Mooney M20J crash near RSW (November 28, 2007) · data.ntsb.gov ↑
FLCPA: Southwest Florida International Airport Monthly Reports and Data · flylcpa.com
BTS TranStats — IAH Route Information · transtats.bts.gov