COVID-19 hits hard at Sarasota Bradenton airport. Passenger traffic could drop by 95%
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport saw a 22.6 percent decrease in passenger traffic for March with 153,246 passengers traveling through the terminal, the majority being recorded in the first half of the month.
Prior to the decrease, the airport experienced 24 straight months of increased passenger traffic. Year-to-date, airport passenger traffic is up 23 percent for the first three months of 2020 with 611,450 passengers using SRQ.
Before the alarm was sounded on the pandemic, SRQ seemed to be on track for a record 2.7 million passengers in 2020.
“With the spread of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, along with stay-at-home orders implemented throughout the country, the airport has experienced a sharp decline in passengers and air service. Passenger traffic is expected to be down 95 percent in April as the full effects of the decline in travel are experienced for the full month,” Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of the airport, said in a press release.
With many of SRQ’s nine air carriers applying for federal grant money under the CARES Act, the airport expects to maintain a minimal level of service to multiple destinations as the country transitions through the pandemic.
Monday morning, the SRQ arrivals board was showing 21 flights and of those, seven had been canceled.
“We know it is going to be painful for the next couple of months as the entire country works to contain and reverse the spread of COVID-19. During this time, the airport plans to proceed with construction projects that would otherwise be very difficult to complete when high volumes of travelers are using the airport,” Piccolo said.
These projects include repaving the short and long-term parking lots, renovating the screening checkpoint area, and completing airfield projects that require partial closures of taxiways and runways.
The airport is increasing the number of janitorial employees and instituting cleaning procedures that meet or exceed those outlined in guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“ It is important that we create an environment where our customers can go from the parking lot to the aircraft in a clean, efficient, and easy to transition setting. We will continue to maintain and operate the airport during this difficult time so that quality air transportation remains available and accessible to our local community,” Piccolo said.
