Punta Gorda airport sizzles in July

PUNTA GORDA — Discount airline Allegiant Air boosted passenger traffic at Punta Gorda airport by 63% in July, the Charlotte County Airport Authority reported.

The authority says 53,826 passengers passed through the airport in July. For the year through July, 409,648 passengers have passed through the airport compared with 175,428 during the same seven months last year.

Allegiant Air, the airport's sole carrier, operates nonstop jet service to Punta Gorda from 23 cities, most in smaller markets such as Allentown, Penn., Knoxville, Tenn., and Toledo, Ohio.

“The continued growth of the airport is providing jobs, resulting in spending and investment in our community,” says Don Lee, chairman of the Charlotte County Airport Authority, in a statement.