Business is booming at SRQ airport. Next comes the expansion of the terminal
Forty-seven destinations. Ten airlines. An airport running at 100 percent capacity.
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, which had been on pace to become the nation’s fastest growing airport until the coronavirus pandemic brought air travel to a virtual standstill around the country, has recovered faster and stronger than anyone imagined.
Monday, the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority moved to get a handle on the growth by taking steps to expand the airline parking apron at the airport. There are also plans to expand the existing concourse and add a second concourse. There was even mention of an eventual third concourse.
SRQ is once again in the running to become the fastest-growing airport in the country. It set an all-time passenger record of 294,165 in April, topping the previous record of 277,590 passengers set in March.
Monday at midday, the airport’s long-term parking lot was full, and travelers had to look carefully to find an open space in the short-term parking lot
The immediate priority to relieve the pressure is to expand the airline parking apron and add a ground-level passenger terminal, Rick Piccolo, the airport’s president and CEO, said Monday.
Passengers would walk along an air conditioned corridor at ground level to their gate and then ascend stairs to their airliner. The $4 million project should be complete in 18 months.
The project would add passenger gates to the airport, as well as three overnight airline parking spaces.
Monday, the airport authority approved entering into negotiations with EG Solutions of Lakewood Ranch for a contract to provide architectural and engineering services for design of the apron expansion.
If the airport is unable to reach contact approval with EG Solutions, it would go to the No. 2-rated firm on a short list of candidates.
The authority also approved entering into contract negotiations with Gresham Smith of Tampa for architectural and engineering design, bidding and construction phase services to expand and upgrade existing concourse B and design for the construction of a new concourse A.
Expansion of the existing concourse is projected to cost about $20 million, while the construction of concourse A would cost an estimated $110 million, Piccolo said.
Concourse A is a longer-term project and has no estimated target date for completion, Piccolo said.
The expansion of the existing concourse would increase its passenger holding capacity, and upgrade and renovate the concession area. It also would improve the efficiency in the arrival/departure area.
The expansion of the airport can hardly come fast enough as new service has been added quickly with the arrival first of Allegiant and then Southwest airlines.
Allegiant starts service between SRQ and Peoria, Ill., on Thursday and Concord, N. C. on Friday.
Southwest starts service with seven new destinations in June: Denver and St. Louis on June 6, and Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Kansas City, and Grand Rapids, Mich., on June 12.
“It was the most challenging year from the perspective we were growing so fast,” Piccolo said of the arrival of the coronavirus.
Airport business not only quickly recovered from the dampening effects of he pandemic, but sped up, he said.
“It’s like drinking from a fire hose,” Piccolo said of the struggle to keep pace with rapid growth.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 6:58 AM.
