February brings nearly 400,000 passengers to SRQ

The Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport had the busiest February on record this year. 

The airport, which goes by the call letters SRQ, had 393,807 passengers travel through, which was 16% higher than February 2022's numbers. It also was the highest number of passengers in February throughout SRQ’s history.

SRQ has seen 3.97 million passengers over the 12-month period that ended in February. That was up 13% compared to last year.

“We continue to experience steep increases in the number of passengers utilizing our airport,” SRQ president and CEO Rick Piccolo says in a statement.

Piccolo went on to state that the two busiest months of the year have yet to come. March and April typically see the most traffic, he says, due to spring break travelers.

“Fortunately, airport operations have remained smooth with minimal flight delays, little to no wait times at the screening checkpoint, and ample vehicle parking,” he says.

The airport is moving forward with a number of expansion projects to help ease the growth SRQ is experiencing. The projects include a new five-gate terminal, cell phone waiting lot, additional overflow parking lots, ground transportation area, baggage handling system and additional concessions.

“All these projects will take time to complete,” Piccolo says, “but the result will provide a facility that offers all the conveniences our travelers expect when using SRQ.”