PG airport traffic grows

PUNTA GORDA — Passenger traffic at Charlotte County Airport rose 13.6% to 38,695 people in February compared with February 2011, according to the Charlotte County Airport Authority.

Discount airlines Direct Air and Allegiant currently serve the Punta Gorda airport. In February, Direct Air passenger traffic grew nearly 29% to 30,327 passengers compared with the same month one year ago. Allegiant posted a decline of 21% to 8,368 passengers over the same period.

While the Charlotte County airport has been growing significantly, passenger traffic still is relatively modest compared with Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, which reported 7.5 million passengers in 2011.