NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — More people flying out of Norfolk International Airport last year wanted to head south when traveling in the U.S., but a west coast destination has moved up the list.
Orlando continues to top the list of destinations for flyers out of Norfolk, with more than 290 passengers flying each way daily in 2024.
But the biggest change from 2023 to 2024 was the emergence of San Diego, which is now the third-most popular destination for Norfolk travelers, with 183 daily passengers each way daily. A nonstop flight to San Diego from Norfolk began in April 2024, which the airport said is due to data showing where people travel when they use Norfolk’s airport.
San Diego jumped two spots up the list, ahead of Tampa (about 179 daily passengers each way) and Dallas/Fort Worth (173).
Here’s the complete top 10 destinations from Norfolk International Airport:
- Orlando
- Atlanta
- San Diego
- Tampa
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- New York, NY
- Fort Lauderdale
- Denver
- Chicago
- Boston
The data of flyers is produced by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The top international destinations for travelers coming from or going to Norfolk International Airport is the beach resorts of Cancun, with more than 30 passengers daily flying to or from the popular Mexican destination. Montego Bay Jamaica was second (27 passengers per day, each way), and London was the top European destination (22 passengers per day, each way). Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic (21 passengers per day, each way) and Manila, in the Philippines (16 passengers per day, each way), rounded out the top five.
Department of Transportation data only tracks where air travel itineraries begin and end, so if people from Hampton Roads drive to another city to start or end their destination, they are counted in that airport’s totals.
Norfolk International Airport notes that passenger numbers are “critically important” to airlines when they pick where they want to have nonstop international flights. The airport, in the midst of a nearly $1 billion renovation project, has noted in social media posts that it is interested in adding international flights.
Here are Norfolk International Airport’s top 10 international destinations:
- Cancun, Mexico
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- London, United Kingdom
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Manila, PHilippines
- Toronto, Ontario, Canda
- Tokyo, Japan
- Paris, France
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Rome, Italy