Fort Myers airport growth slows in July

FORT MYERS — Passenger traffic through Southwest Florida International Airport rose less than 1% in July compared with the same month one year ago, according to the Lee County Port Authority.

The 0.7% July increase representing 467,946 passengers came despite a 0.3% drop in the number of flights compared with July 2012 at the Fort Myers airport.

For the year through July, passenger traffic is up 5.9%, reflecting an improved tourism season and economic recovery. The airport counted 7.3 million passengers in 2012 and is one of the nation's 50 busiest airports.

Delta carried the most passengers in and out of Fort Myers, with 108,265 people. Rounding out the top five airlines were AirTran, JetBlue, USAirways and Southwest.