Rat stench has been a persistent problem at Orlando International Airport (OIA), top customs officials say.
“This issue has been prevalent for years and has gotten worse,†they wrote to OIA leaders.
US Customs and Border Protection officials complained to Orlando International Airport officials that passengers and inspectors became “ill” earlier this month — nearly a week before a satellite security checkpoint was shut down because workers were sickened again by dead-rat odors.
The letter written by the top customs official at OIA, Eduardo Oliveros complained that airport officials were not doing enough to stop a persistent “rodent issue” and resulting foul odor, according to The Orlando Sentinel.
The first-floor customs checkpoint for arriving foreign passengers at Airside 1 was shut down temporarily after some agency workers got sick. Earlier in the month, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which runs the airport, had exterminators take “aggressive measures” to kill the vermin, apparently causing
Spokesman Zachary Mann said the moves have “minimally affected” operations with incoming foreign passengers.
Report by David Wilkening
