Passenger count down for third month in a row at SRQ, but yearly total remains on track for new record

Starting in October, airlines to begin selling more seats on SRQ flights than in 2021

For the third month in a row, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) has recorded fewer passengers than it did in the same month of 2021.

Through August, 236,799 passengers traveled through the airport, a news release notes. That marks a 2.9% decrease, compared to the count for August 2021, the release adds.

June saw a 7.8% decrease, month-over-month, while in July, SRQ recorded a 13.4% drop in its passenger count, compared to the figure for July 2021, the airport staff reported earlier this year.

Nonetheless, the total number of passengers traveling through the airport this year added up to 2,611,962 by the end of August, the release continues. That figure is 28.6% higher than the total of 2,030,487 recorded for the first eight months of 2021, the latest airport news release points out.

“As summer comes to an end, we continue to see a slight reduction in monthly passenger levels compared to last year,” Frederick “Rick” Piccolo, resident, and CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, acknowledged in the release. However, he pointed out, “We expect this to change starting in October,” when the number of seats scheduled by airlines serving SRQ begins to exceed 2021 levels.

“Another trend we are seeing is aircraft passenger load factors are higher this year,” he pointed out, compared to those in 2021. “We expect this trend to remain as our community continues to rapidly grow and demand to use SRQ increases,” Piccolo said in the release.

In related news, SRQ has announced that Allegiant Air will start nonstop service to Minneapolis, Minn., (MSP) beginning Oct. 6, and Air Canada will resume seasonal nonstop service to Toronto (YYZ) beginning Oct. 30.

Additionally, on Nov. 5, Breeze Airways will start nonstop service to White Plains, N.Y., (HPN).