Airport posts 33% passenger growth

PUNTA GORDA — Punta Gorda Airport reported 836,472 passengers passed through the Charlotte County airport in 2015, a 33% increase compared with 2014.

The passenger growth puts the airport in position to surpass the million-passenger mark this year. That would vault the Charlotte County airport into the same league as Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, each with about 1.2 million annual passengers.

In December, the Punta Gorda Airport reported 81,289 passengers traveled through its gates, a 29% increase compared with the same month in December 2014. That was a steeper year-over-year increase than the 24% annual jump one year ago.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant is the airport's sole carrier and it has expanded nonstop service from Punta Gorda to 30 destinations since it began service here in 2009. The airline specializes in flying people from smaller cities in the Midwest and Northeast to tourism destinations.

You can read a recent story in the Business Observer about the airport's growth by clicking here.