Fort Myers Airport Guide: One Runway, Eleven Million Flyers
Fort Myers Airport handled a record 11.15 million passengers in 2025 on one runway. Read about its terminal, airlines, routes, access and expansion.
By The Aviation Hub
5 min read
Updated October 20, 2026 
Southwest Florida International Airport serves Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral and the Gulf beaches of Lee and Collier counties. Fort Myers Airport set a record of about 11.15 million passengers in 2025, nearly all of them flying on a single runway. Winter defines the place. Snowbirds and holidaymakers from the Midwest, the north east and Canada pour in between January and April, and the terminal works at full stretch. A 1.1 billion dollar rebuild and a new concourse are under way to keep up.
Fort Myers Airport at a Glance
The IATA code is RSW and the ICAO code is KRSW. The airport lies about 10 miles (16 km) south east of downtown Fort Myers, close to Interstate 75. Elevation is 30 ft (9 m). There is one runway and one midfield terminal with three separate concourses.
Passengers reached around 11.15 million in 2025, up about 1 per cent on the year before. Delta is the largest carrier with a share of roughly 22 per cent, and Breeze Airways keeps an operating base here. The Lee County Port Authority owns and runs the airport. Parking, security wait times and flight details are on the airport’s official website.
How Fort Myers’ Airport Came to Be
Before 1983, airline flights used Page Field, a small airport close to the city that could not practically be expanded. Planners chose a new site at the eastern end of Daniels Parkway, partly for its easy access to the planned Interstate 75. Commercial service began on 14 May 1983.
The airport opened as Southwest Florida Regional Airport, which explains the code. RSW stands for Regional South West. Ten years to the day after opening, on 14 May 1993, it became Southwest Florida International Airport.
Growth outpaced the original terminal. A new midfield terminal opened on 9 September 2005, and the old building was later cleared, with a business park planned on the site. In 2009 a passenger with little flying experience landed a King Air here after the pilot died, guided in by air traffic controllers. Hurricane Ian in 2022 caused severe damage across the region and briefly shut the airport.
Runways at Fort Myers Airport
Everything happens on Runway 06/24, a 3,658 m (12,000 ft) asphalt strip 46 m wide. That length handles any aircraft in service, including the Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 used on transatlantic and charter flights.
Fort Myers Airport is described as the second busiest single runway airport in the United States after San Diego. Any closure has an immediate impact. In October 2022 a United jet blew two tyres on landing, closing the runway for almost nine hours.
A 2,774 m (9,100 ft) parallel runway was planned but has been delayed indefinitely, and fresh studies for a second runway are under way. Wind decides direction. Easterly winds are common in the mornings and through the dry winter season, favouring Runway 06, while summer sea breezes from the Gulf bring Runway 24 into use.
Terminals and Airlines
The midfield terminal feeds three concourses that are not connected airside, so passengers must clear security for the right one. Concourse B handles Air Canada, Alaska, Allegiant, Avelo, Discover, Frontier, Porter, Southwest and Sun Country, with customs and immigration on its lower level. Concourse C serves Delta, United and WestJet. Concourse D hosts American, Breeze and JetBlue.
Delta, a SkyTeam member, leads with flights to its Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis hubs. United, from the Star Alliance, and American, from oneworld, connect through their own hubs. Southwest, JetBlue and Sun Country build heavy winter schedules from northern cities, and Breeze uses Fort Myers Airport as a base for routes to smaller markets.
The airport has around 28 gates today. Concourse E, with 14 more gates, is due for completion by the end of 2027.
Routes and Destinations
Atlanta was the busiest route in 2025 with about 498,000 passengers. Chicago O’Hare followed at around 390,000, then Minneapolis St Paul at roughly 338,000, Detroit at about 321,000 and Boston near 304,000. The list reads like a map of where Florida’s winter residents come from.
International service centres on Canada and Germany. Air Canada, WestJet and Porter fly to Toronto, with Montreal added seasonally. Discover Airlines links Fort Myers Airport with Frankfurt, around 4,850 miles (7,800 km) away, the airport’s long haul flagship.
Seasonality is extreme. Traffic peaks between January and April, then falls sharply in the hot, humid summer and the hurricane season from June to November. Cargo is limited to integrators and belly freight.
Getting to and from Fort Myers Airport
Most passengers reach Fort Myers Airport by car. Terminal Access Road links the airport directly with Interstate 75 at Exit 128. Downtown Fort Myers is about 20 minutes away, Cape Coral around 30 minutes, and Naples or Sanibel roughly 40 to 50 minutes depending on traffic.
There is no rail service. LeeTran bus route 50 serves the airport and is the cheapest sensible option for budget travellers, though it is slow. Taxis and ride share services wait outside baggage claim, and a trip to downtown Fort Myers costs roughly 40 to 50 dollars (about £30 to £38).
Rental cars are the default for visitors, and the major firms operate from a facility close to the terminal. Short term, long term and economy parking lots cover most budgets.
Spotting and Photography
Fort Myers Airport is a relaxed spot for watching aircraft, with flat terrain and long sightlines. Winter brings the best variety, from Discover Airlines wide bodies to Porter’s Embraer E195-E2 jets and a wide range of United States carriers.
Public roads around the perimeter offer views of arrivals and departures. Morning light suits the south side of the runway, and afternoons favour the north. Summer thunderstorms build quickly and can create dramatic skies.
Around 6,000 acres around the airport are conserved swamp land, so wildlife is never far away. Keep to public areas, respect the fence and follow any instruction from airport police.
What Comes Next
A multiphase terminal programme reported at around 1.1 billion dollars began in October 2021. It consolidates security into a single checkpoint, remodels about 164,000 square feet of space and prepares for Concourse E. Completion is scheduled for 2027.
The second runway remains the big unanswered question. Without it, any disruption on 06/24 will continue to stop the entire operation, and winter peaks will stay tightly packed.
Fort Myers Airport is heading for bigger terminals and steady growth, with runway capacity the next hurdle. Compare it with Tampa and Orlando on the Airports of the World map.
Continue to follow The Aviation Hub for more analysis and insight.
Advertise with us Your brand, in front of an aviation audience Home page and in-article placements, sold directly, one advertiser per slot. From £250 a year. See the rates
