Punta Gorda Airport posts 29% growth

PUNTA GORDA — The number of passengers traveling through Punta Gorda Airport rose 29% in January compared with the same month one year ago.

According to the Charlotte County Airport Authority, 76,538 people traveled through Punta Gorda Airport in January. The airport's sole carrier, Allegiant Air, now flies to 30 cities nonstop and specializes in flying tourists from underserved cities in the Northeast and Midwest, such as Allentown, Pa., Springfield, Ill., and Toledo, Ohio.

To accommodate the growth at Punta Gorda Airport, the authority has expanded the Bailey Terminal from 16,000 square feet to 56,000 square feet. That's nearly the size of a football field.