Nearly 600,000 passengers counted
For the month of March, 597,796 passengers traveled through Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), compared to the tally of 553,521 passengers in March 2024, the airport staff has announced.
Not only is the March figure 8% higher than the March 2024 count, a release notes, but it is the highest figure for “passengers per month in the entire history of SRQ.”
The release adds that, during the first three months of the 2025 calendar year, SRQ experienced overall growth of 1.1% in passenger traffic, compared to the corresponding period in 2024. Further, the April 15 news release marked the first time since June 2024 that the airport had announced that it had broken a passenger record, based on a Sarasota News Leader review this week of the facility’s news releases. The SRQ airport staff also announced a passenger increase in January 2024, compared to the same month in 2023.
As the News Leader has reported, Sarasota County’s “bed tax” has been down this fiscal year. The revenue derives from a 6% tax on accommodations rented for six months or less time. Leaders of the county’s tourism marketing office, Visit Sarasota County, and Sherri Smith, the chief deputy tax collector for the county, have cited the significant damage to destinations and accommodations in the wake of the 2024 storm season as the reason for the decline in Tourist Development Tax collections. (See the related article in this issue.)
In the SRQ news release this week, Frederick “Rick” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, said, “It is exciting to see the airport break an all-time passenger record for the most passengers served in a month. The recent opening of our new five-gate Concourse A in January, along with the introduction of nine new nonstop destinations this year, is contributing to a recovery in passenger growth following a minor setback due to Hurricane Milton,” he continued.
“Based on currently scheduled future flights,” Piccolo added, “we anticipate seeing positive increases in passenger numbers for the remainder of 2025.”
“SRQ is proud to serve 11 airlines offering 68 nonstop destinations,” the release says. Visit flysrq.com for additional flight information.