Record passenger traffic — again — at St. Pete-Clearwater airport

St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport has been busy.

In a report stating this “was our biggest May in history,” the Pinellas County airport says passenger traffic for the month was up 13% when compared with a year ago. Overall, the number of people flying in and out this year is up 11% compared to last year.

The report shows 242,162 people used the airport in May and 1.14 million have thus far this year.

The busiest May prior to this year was in 2022 when 221,565 passengers traveled through the airport.

The May report follows one in April where St. Pete-Clearwater also proclaimed the busiest April in its history with an 18% increase over the previous year with 240,468 passengers.

The busiest April before this one was also in 2022 when 233,403 passengers traveled through the airport.

St. Pete-Clearwater International’s history goes back to shortly after Pearl Harbor when it was built as a military training base known as the Pinellas Army Airfield. After the war, the federal government gave the property to the county which operated Pinellas International Airport and gave rise to the call letters PIE.

It was re-christened St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in 1958 and the name was shortened in 2013.

It has service to more than 60 destinations, the vast majority through Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air.