Driven by strong passenger demand and booming cargo volumes in 2025, Miami International Airport’s total statewide economic impact rose 17% to $212 billion in business revenue. Employment tied to the airport’s direct, indirect, induced, and related activities also increased 12%, reaching 945,682 jobs, according to a new report from industry firm Martin Associates.
“Congratulations to the entire MIA community for delivering another record‑setting year that brought substantial benefits to our local economy — boosting business revenue by $31 billion and creating more than 100,000 additional jobs statewide compared to the previous year,” said Miami‑Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “MIA’s role as our region’s most important economic engine is truly unparalleled, which is why up to $14 billion in modernization and capital improvement projects are underway to support our continued growth.”
MIA’s freight shipments skyrocketed by 13.6% to nearly 3.5 million tons in 2025, securing its position as the busiest cargo airport in the United States and the third busiest globally, surpassed only by Hong Kong and Shanghai. Passenger traffic also reached 55.3 million, pushing MIA up two spots to become the 8th-busiest airport in the nation. The airport remains the second busiest in the U.S. for international travelers and has now surpassed 55 million passengers for two consecutive years.
“Rising passenger and cargo volumes at MIA are directly boosting revenue for our trade and tourism sectors and generating more jobs for our residents, as clearly shown in the airport’s latest economic impact study,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins. “As Chair of the Airport and Seaport Committee for the Board of County Commissioners, I remain fully committed to advancing legislation that strengthens our County’s largest economic engine and expands prosperity for both our residents and community partners.”
The elevated economic impact numbers come on the heels of glowing bond rating reports released in May by Fitch Ratings, Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), and Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings (S&P) for MIA’s Series 2026A and 2026B aviation revenue refunding bonds.
Fitch’s report affirmed its A+ rating and updated its outlook from stable to positive, noting that “MIA is a well-positioned gateway airport that serves a growing Latin American air service market, and it is also an important cargo hub. American Airlines maintains a dominant market share at the airport, but resilient traffic activity demonstrates MIA’s strong franchise strength and importance to both American and the national aviation network.”
KBRA assigned an AA- rating and maintained a positive outlook for MIA, which it said reflected the airport’s “improving financial profile, underpinned by sustained growth in domestic and international passenger traffic as well as cargo activity. MIA continues to outperform many of its large hub peers, particularly in the sunbelt, with passenger levels reaching record levels in the immediate, post-pandemic environment.”
S&P graded MIA with an A+ and stable outlook, noting that its rating “reflects our view of MIA’s strong performance as a large hub in a growing service area, its outperformance of peers, and its essentiality to American Airlines Inc.’s route network, in our view. In addition, our positive holistic analysis reflects our view of the airport’s financial resiliency and stability through multiple economic cycles, and captures MIA’s operational strengths serving regional international markets, notably in Latin America and the Caribbean.
