ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando International Airport plans to open its new South Terminal C over a two-week period beginning Sept. 19, Kevin Thibault, chief executive officer of Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said Wednesday on Twitter after the organization's board meeting.

The nearly $3 billion project, years in the making, is the largest project in MCO's history.

JetBlue will be the primary airline operating out of the new terminal, although Thibault said officials are negotiating with international carriers to use the new terminal as well.

The current Northside Terminals A and B were originally designed to handle 24 million passengers. In 2021, MCO ranked as the seventh-busiest airport in the United States, with more than 40 million passengers. Projections indicate growth will continue steadily toward 50 million passengers.

Terminal C will have 15 gates when it opens — and the ability to accommodate an additional 10 million to 12 million passengers per year.

The project includes various state-of-the-art functions, inside and out.

A highlight is Orlando International Airport being among the first in the nation to use a baggage handling system that will allow crews to get bags from the plane to baggage claim in under five minutes.

Thibault said the total investments are focused on improving the “Orlando Experience”.

“People can come in and focus (on) where to go and just see (an) opening of area; just a lot of being able to circulate and move people around, and it’s going to be a more pleasing experience,” Thibault said. “As I mentioned before, 24 million people when they designed that facility, what 40 years ago, but we’ve grown so tremendously which is great for the region, but clearly, we’ve got to be able to up what we have to do with experience and that’s what you see here.”

The gates will accommodate passenger planes of all sizes, including the Airbus 380, which is the largest passenger plane in the world.

Thousands of workers and 350 companies have worked through the years of the COVID pandemic to get the project completed.

Terminal C will neighbor the existing intermodal station where Brightline will open near high-speed rail service next year, connecting Central Florida with South Florida.