$600 million Miami International Airport deal to move passengers

A contract potentially worth more than $600 million over five years to upgrade elevators and other conveyances at Miami International Airport has been approved by the Miami-Dade County Commission.

The contract with Schindler Elevator Corp. is not to exceed $602,424,184, which includes a five-year extension. It expedites the airport’s “Modernization in Action Plan,” upgrading 372 aged elevators, escalators and moving walkways.

In a news release, airport CEO and Director Ralph Cutié said the upgrades include “145 units that will receive complete modernization.

“Over the next five to 10 years of the contract, an average of at least 30 conveyance units at MIA are scheduled to be upgraded or replaced annually,” Mr. Cutie’s release explained.

County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the contract will “future-proof the conveyance units at Miami International Airport for decades to come and provide an improved travel experience for all of our visitors.

“As our airport continues to grow at unprecedented levels, important investments like these will ensure the gateway to our community is more efficient and customer-friendly than ever before,” the mayor said.

Before the vote to approve the contract, Commissioner Raquel Regalado suggested elevators should take precedence over moving walkways. “I get calls all the time,” she told the commission, “from people with disabilities… They say they can’t use the walkways because people are walking too fast.”

Mayor Levine Cava’s report to the commission said the county is working with Schindler to address issues with conveyance equipment reliability and down time.

“This effort includes addressing the modernization and upgrade needs for the equipment that may be beyond its useful life or is damaged due to exposure to the elements or heavy use.”

The airport is renovating all of its 616 conveyance units as well as its 126 passenger loading bridges and 203 public bathrooms in phases over the next five to 10 years, her report said. Despite the aging conveyance units requiring major renovation or repair, less than 10% of the 616 units at the airport are out of service for maintenance on an average day, the report said.

Several commissioners questioned carpeted floors at the airport, which are being removed and replaced with hard flooring. “What a concept,” Ms. Regalado said, “flooring that luggage can roll on.”

Commissioner Kevin Cabrera echoed Ms. Regalado’s concerns about the carpeting. “I met with the director (Cutié) and I know that we are prioritizing getting rid of the carpets.”

Ms. Regaldo was firm on her position: “I really think that we should focus on the elevators and eliminate some of these walkways because I just don’t think we need all of them and if they’re broken, or worse, turned off because there’s too many people … I would rather just increase the way that people can move and then look at options.”

Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez asked for, and received, assurances that the contract with Schindler and the vendor itself can be re-evaluated after the first five-year term.

Mr. Bermudez said he wanted to make sure the commission will “be able to evaluate and see how this entity has been performing.”
The cost for the contract’s first five years is $301,212,092.

“Should the county choose to exercise,” the Mayor Levine Cava’s report to the commission states, “at its sole discretion, the one, five-year option to renew term, the cumulative value will be $602,424,184.

The international airport has been the fastest-growing airport in the US and the second-fastest-growing in the world in airline seats since 2019, according to analytics provider Cirium.

The airport served an all-time high of 50.7 million travelers in 2022, 10% more than its previous record set in 2019 before the pandemic. Through the first half of 2023, the airport’s passenger traffic is up 2.6%, putting it on pace to serve more than 52 million passengers this year, according to airport communications director Greg Chin.