The Kissimmee Gateway Airport could soon allow international flights to land and take off from its airfield near the heart of Central Florida’s tourism district.
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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency recently granted the municipal airport preliminary approval to be designated as a “User Fee Facility,” paving the way for the airfield to allow small planes flying in from other countries to land on its runways.
“It’s like having a Christmas present placed under the Christmas tree just for you,” said Shaun Germolus, director of aviation for the airport, in describing his and other officials’ excitement over the federal agency’s recent announcement.
“We know that it will contribute to tourism and economic development in the region,” he said. “We claim to be the closest [airport] to the Convention Center and the theme parks.”
Osceola, despite its growing size, is the only Central Florida county without an international airport.
Orange has the gargantuan Orlando International; Seminole has Orlando-Sanford International; Brevard has Melbourne Orlando International; Volusia has Daytona Beach International; and Lake — the smallest of the five — has Leesburg International.
So does this mean that jumbo jets with hundreds of passengers from all over the world will be landing at Kissimmee Gateway, off Dyer Boulevard, just south of the U.S. Highway 192?
Not exactly.
A “user fee facility” designation allows smaller regional airports to accept international flights such as a private business’ aircraft flying in from another country.
Typically, a “user fee facility” airport pays the federal government for the services of the Border Patrol — including staffing a customs officer. At the larger airports, such as Orlando International, those services are paid for by the federal agency.
In turn, the smaller airport recovers those costs by charging the pilots, passengers or charter companies landing at its facility.
The benefit to the area is that smaller aircraft can clear customs at the regional airports rather than tying up traffic at the larger airports, which receive the big airlines.
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It would also ease pressures at Orlando International — with 40 airlines and nearly 59 million passengers annually, including 8.5 million international passengers — when it nears capacity.
“It’s all the air traffic [of smaller planes] that we don’t want congesting the air space over OIA,” Germolus said.
He added Kissimmee Gateway handles just over 140,000 landings and takeoffs a year, or about 400 per day on average. The majority are small commercial jets and private planes.
But it’s not a done deal yet.
The Kissimmee airport must first build a separate facility on its property that is compliant with U.S. Customs and Border Protection standards to process the incoming passengers.
In the coming months, the city will hire companies to put together design and engineering plans and develop a cost estimate. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and completed by 2028.
When finished and the designation is fully granted, the airport will be able to accommodate a growing number of private charter flights from South America and the Caribbean, officials said.
Does it also mean Kissimmee Gateway will soon add “International” to its name?
“We may call it the Kissimmee Intergalactic Airport,” Germolus said with a laugh in reference to the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at nearby Disney’s Hollywood Studios. “But the name Kissimmee Gateway Airport works well.”
Still, city officials called the preliminary designation an “important milestone” for the airfield.
“We have worked for a long time to make this happen,” said Mike Steigerwald, Kissimmee’s city manager, in a press release. “This designation has real value for our residents, our businesses and our regional partners.”
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