Even before 2021 comes to an end, we know that SRQ has surpassed 2,034,538 passengers thus breaking the the all-time annual record of 2,010,304 set in 1990, the airport said in a news release last week.
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.
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.
If you live here then you know just how busy our year has been – we’ve got so much room outdoors, in the sun, people want to get away – that’s why we live here, too; it’s heavenly!