Airport passenger traffic increases 16% in 2018

In December 2018, passenger traffic was 39% higher than December 2017.

By Business Observer Staff
| 1:24 p.m. January 15, 2019
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Courtesy. Sarasota Bradenton International Airport reportedÂ it ended the 2018 calendar year with a 16% increase in passenger traffic over calendar year 2017.

Manatee-Sarasota

SARASOTA — Sarasota Bradenton International Airport reported it ended the 2018 calendar year with a 16% increase in passenger traffic over calendar year 2017.

Also, according to a press release, passenger traffic in December 2018 was 39% higher than December 2017. It represents the ninth straight month of increased passengers. The last eight months saw double-digit increases averaging 28%, the statement adds.

Growth started in April with the addition of Allegiant Air, the first ultra-low-cost carrier to come to the airport. Allegiant's arrival was followed by Frontier Airlines, a second ultra-low-cost carrier, in December.

The airport, under the call letters SRQ, now hosts eight airlines and serves 26 nonstop destinations. More new air service is expected to start in 2019, including to Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Asheville, N.C., Syracuse, N.Y., and Nashville.