Annual Passenger Record Broken At Sarasota Bradenton Airport

SARASOTA, FL — With four months to go until the end of the year, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport broke its calendar year passenger record.

The number of passengers traveling through SRQ in the first 8 months of the year totaled 2,034,538, breaking the all-time annual record of 2,010,304 set in 1990, the airport said in a news release.

In the month of August, passenger traffic at the airport totaled 247,900. That’s 327 percent higher than the COVID-19 impacted level of 58,115 passengers in August 2020, the airport said.

Compared to August 2019, passenger traffic was 83 percent higher than the pre-COVID-19 level of 135,467 travelers.

“It is amazing to see us break our annual passenger record only 8 months into the calendar year. While this incredible growth has resulted in added revenues that resulted in a continued decrease in costs for our airline partners, it has created the need for a number of significant capital improvements that the airport is moving on as quickly as possible,” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO, said.

He also noted that the airport is debt-free, adding that the increased revenue will allow the airport to continue lowering rates and charges for the airlines serving SRQ.

In the airport’s proposed fiscal year 2022 budget, which will be considered by its board in September, the average cost per enplaned passenger, a measurement used by airlines to determine the cost to operate at an airport, will drop by 53 percent, Piccolo said.

He expects the airport will continue to grow and add additional service. SRQ currently has 10 airlines providing nonstop flights to 50 destinations and has an economic impact of more than $1.3 billion on the region.

Piccolo previously told Patch that SRQ is the fastest growing airport in the United States. In 2019 and 2020, there were approximately 1.5 million passenger seats coming from and going to the airport. By the end of 2021, there will be more than 4.3 million passenger seats flying in and out of Sarasota-Bradenton, he said.

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To address this growth, the airport will spend more than $100 million on expansion and renovation projects in coming years.

The priority project is the construction of a new $25 million five-gate terminal on the east end of the airport over the next 18 to 24 months, Piccolo said. This addition is a single-story, ground-loading terminal that will have passengers walk out to a ramp and load the plane.

Parking lot and fuel farm expansion projects were recently completed. The airport will also expand its existing terminal wing to increase its holding space and concession offerings and also expand its baggage claim area, a $50 million project, within two years, Piccolo said.

A new ground transportation center to handle pick-ups and drop-offs by rideshare service, taxis and shuttles will be built within the next year and the security checkpoint will be expanded, as well. The airport will also consolidate the rental car and maintenance facilities in the next two to three years.