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Major Orlando Airports Announce Reopening Dates After Irma Made Its Way Through Florida

By Danny Cox
Published on: 09:53 PST, Sep 7, 2017

It was expected, and many thought it would be coming, but two major Orlando airports made it official on Thursday afternoon, as they will cease operations this weekend due to Hurricane Irma. With the storm’s path still not overly definite and the chance it will affect the majority of Florida, both Orlando International Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport have announced they will cease operations on Saturday afternoon.

UPDATE on Sept. 11, 2017 at 4:55 p.m.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) has announced they will resume limited commercial service on Tuesday.

Orlando Melbourne is also expected to open on Tuesday.

Orlando Sanford International Airport still has not said when they will resume operation.

—-Begin original article

Many airlines have started canceling flights over the course of the last two days and have already advised passengers of refunds or rescheduling. Now, both of those major airports will halt all incoming and outgoing flights to keep both passengers and crew members safe.

Orlando International Airport has confirmed they will cease operations after the final departure at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2017, as reported by WESH. Sanford Orlando Airport is planning on ceasing operations after the last departure at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2017.

For those who are or were heading to Walt Disney World and other tourists destinations this weekend, you will want to contact your airlines about refunds. Even if your airline has not yet canceled your flights, you will want to check on your options as after 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, no flights will be landing at either of Orlando’s major airports.

Overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, a notice had been posted on the website for Orlando International saying they would cease operations at 5 p.m. on Saturday. That notice was taken down and the airport said they had no plans to close at that time.

By Thursday afternoon, things had changed again and they decided it would be safest to close.

Sanford Orlando Airport has had a number of airlines already cancel all flights through the weekend, but some are still operating. As of 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, though, there will be no arrivals or departures until further notice.

Airports and many other businesses are taking all precautions with Hurricane Irma, as it has been so unpredictable and is so incredibly large.

Hurricane Irma has had a lot of projected movement over the course of the last few days, and it could still do so much more by the time it approaches the United States. Still, Orlando International and Sanford Orlando Airports did not want to jeopardize anyone’s safety while also giving employees the time to evacuate if they wanted to. For those with flights scheduled, you will want to make sure you check with airlines to see your options as to what to do from here because nothing will be landing after early Saturday evening.

[Featured Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

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