Airport posts 33% passenger growth

PUNTA GORDA — Punta Gorda Airport reported 836,472 passengers passed through the Charlotte County airport in 2015, a 33% increase compared with 2014.

The passenger growth puts the airport in position to surpass the million-passenger mark this year. That would vault the Charlotte County airport into the same league as Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport, each with about 1.2 million annual passengers.

In December, the Punta Gorda Airport reported 81,289 passengers traveled through its gates, a 29% increase compared with the same month in December 2014. That was a steeper year-over-year increase than the 24% annual jump one year ago.