Punta Gorda Airport traffic surges

PUNTA GORDA — Allegiant Air, the sole carrier at Punta Gorda Airport, continued to boost passenger traffic at the Charlotte County airport.

Passenger traffic rose 37.5% to 91,130 travelers in February compared with the same month one year ago. It puts the airport on track to surpass 1 million passengers for the first time this year.

“The increase in passengers is associated with the increase in cities that Allegiant now serves,” says Kathleen Coppola, commissioner of the Charlotte County Airport Authority, in a statement. “It is also a testament that more and more people are visiting our area along with those who live here are using the Punta Gorda Airport.”

February's tally was the 28th consecutive month the airport posted a year-over-year increase in passenger traffic. It also was a new record for February and the second-highest month in the airport's history.

Allegiant specializes in flying tourists from smaller cities such as Akron, Ohio, Knoxville, Tenn., and Rockford, Ill., to tourism destinations such as Southwest Florida. The airport recently expanded its passenger terminal to accommodate the growth.