'Continued Growth': NWF Beaches International Airport on track to have busiest year ever
PANAMA CITY BEACH — In just about a month, officials expect to crown 2023 as the busiest year in the history of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.
According to an activity report from November, the airport, referred to as ECP, serviced 1,560,026 passengers in the first 11 months of the year. Not only is that 128,106 more passengers than during the same time last year, it also is only 38,466 fewer passengers than it serviced during all of 2022 — the year that currently holds the title.
With no signs of things slowing down, this means the ECP almost certainly will break its record this month.
"We're anticipating ending the year at a little over 1.6 million passengers," said Parker McClellan, executive director of ECP. "We continue to see growth across the region post-COVID, and we continue to say that the Panhandle has been discovered."
Following travel restrictions enacted in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport experienced an unprecedented surge of passengers in 2021.
Past reports note that by October 2021, ECP already had beaten its previous record set in 2019. Those same trends have continued, despite fluctuations in the economy and some uncertainty from officials about if local airport traffic would slow as pandemic-related restricted lifted across the world.
"We can see (the region's growing popularity) with the number of returning visitors and the overall growth of the airport and the region," McClellan said.
To help facilitate this growth, there are a few construction projects at ECP in various stages. Earlier this month, the airport completed a $3.5 million project to pave an overflow lot and add more parking spaces.
There also is an $8 million project to expand the baggage area and a $3.2 million project to expand the terminal, both of which are slated to be complete next spring.
In addition to theses projects, Southern Sky Aviation, an aircraft maintenance company out of Alabama, is building a more than $25 million fixed-based operator, or FBO, on about 11 acres at ECP. Construction should be complete sometime next spring. FBOs are terminals for small private and corporate planes.
Shelt Air, ECP's existing FBO, also is working to expand its facility.
Record numbers: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport on track to have 'a record year'
"I think that as we look at everything going on around the world and with the economy, and all the things that are going to happen in 2024, it appears we're going to have good, continued growth," McClellan said. "People like to come ... to Panama city Beach. They like to come to the beaches of South Walton and over into Gulf County."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: NWF Beaches International Airport on track to have busiest year ever
