Over 12 months through March, passenger count up 10%, compared to same period of 2022
In March, for the first time in a single month, the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) served more than 500,000 passengers, the airport staff has announced.
The total count of 514,889 passengers was up 16%, compared to the tally of 442,846 in March 2022, a news release notes.
In February, the passenger count also was up 16%, compared to the figure for February 2022, the airport staff reported at that time. In a news release noting the February statistics, the staff explained that the months of March and April are the two busiest each year, traditionally, because of “the influx of spring break travelers.”
Moreover, the latest release points out, for the 12 months through March, the passenger total was 4,048,419, which was up 10%, compared to the 3,684,977 passengers counted over the 12 months through March 2022, the release says.
Additionally, over the first three months of this year, SRQ experienced an 18.5% increase in passenger traffic, compared to the same period in 2022.
For all of 2022, the airport set a record for the number of passengers it served, staff noted in January. The 2022 tally was 3,847,606, which marked a 21.6% hike, compared to the total for 2021.
“SRQ has reached a multitude of milestones this March,” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the airport, said in the new release. “Not only can we celebrate a record half a million passengers in a single month and over 4 million passengers in the last 12 months, but also the groundbreaking of a new 5-gate terminal expansion,” he pointed out. “The continuation of record-breaking numbers demonstrates the need for expansion and represents a major shift in how SRQ is transforming to serve the needs of our fast-growing community,” Piccolo added.
“It has been our desire to provide travelers with multiple airlines and destinations to choose from for both leisure and business travel,” he continued. “With 11 airlines serving 55 nonstop destinations, we are excited to see both visitors and locals embrace the many air service choices now being offered from SRQ.”
The airport news release also noted that, on July 13, Breeze Airways will launch service to Providence, R.I. (PVD).