Record number of passengers used Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in January

A record number of passengers traveled through Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in January – continuing a trend of record-breaking increased use of the airport.

A total of 302,189 passengers traveled through the airport in January, a 138% increase over the 126,704 passengers in January 2021.

That sum also represents the highest number of passengers for the month of January in the history of SRQ.

“We continue to be pleasantly surprised by the number of passengers who choose SRQ, especially last month, with the many weather-related cancellations,” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport said in a news release. “In January, we had 282 flights canceled, primarily due to the multiple cold fronts moving across the United States.

“Flight schedules are returning to normal as we prepare for our peak months of March and April.”

Coming soon: Flights to Austin, Texas to begin in April

Earlier: SRQ reports record traffic in December 2021

What's next? What the merger of Spirit and Frontier means for SRQ airport

Piccolo anticipated record-breaking growth to continue as airlines add new destinations. Allegiant Air will begin new nonstop service to Akron-Canton, Ohio on March 3 and to Appleton, Wisconsin on March 11.

Allegiant Air also recently announced it will begin flying between the Sarasota-Bradenton area and Austin, Texas, starting in April. Flights between Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport are scheduled to begin April 14, according to a press release issued Tuesday from Las Vegas-based Allegiant.

The Sarasota-Bradenton airport has been growing steadily. In the past it struggled in the shadow of bigger players including Tampa International Airport. But business has taken off in recent years, with the Dallas flight and the addition of Allegiant in 2018.

During the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sarasota-Bradenton area experienced enormous pent-up leisure travel demand. This led to unprecedented traffic at the airport, which saw more than 3 million passengers in 2021, 57% higher than its previous busiest year on record.

As a response to the demand, the airport is planning a huge expansion. This year, plans include breaking ground on a new ground transportation facility, improving and expanding concessions and a new ground-level terminal with at least five new gates.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: SRQ airport passenger counts shatters January records