- Scott Kirby has floated Miami as a hub for South America expansion
- United would need 40 to 50 gates at Miami International Airport
- American Airlines holds 60.5pc of Miami boardings
- Miami airport recorded 493,702 aircraft movements in fiscal 2025
- New construction projects offer limited capacity for United
United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby has floated Miami as the only workable hub for closing the carrier’s South America gap. Acquiring 40 or 50 gates at American-dominated Miami International Airport would mean securing as much as two-fifths of the airport. Kirby announced no routes or gate negotiations during an appearance on The CEO Signal.
Kirby stated that United is relatively small in South America and that there is only one hub that works for South America, which is Miami. He had already made this point in an April interview in Los Angeles, telling Business Traveler that Latin American expansion would be easier from Miami. By August, he was describing South America and the southeastern United States to CNBC as holes that were difficult to solve independently. Miami International Airport has more than 130 gates and recorded 493,702 aircraft movements in fiscal 2025, a record, while handling 55.2 million passengers. Kirby’s 50-gate wish equals roughly 38pc of the airport’s supply, and no comparable block is known to be available.
American Airlines and its regional carrier Envoy were responsible for 60.5pc of Miami boardings in fiscal 2025. American’s record 2026 summer schedule included more than 380 peak-day departures from Miami to 155 destinations in 45 countries. Delta carried about 3.9 million passengers against United’s 1.9 million. The newly announced Concourse K will only add six gates in 2029, and the $1 billion D60 gates project is rebuilding 17 regional positions within American’s concourse. Concourse G, which is due for demolition and redevelopment, does not have the capacity to give United what it needs.
Scott Kirby shared “We’re relatively small in South America. There is really only one hub that works for South America, and that’s Miami.”
