As we approach the end of another year, I thought it would be interesting to review some of the major developments over the last 12 months at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, and give a preview of some of the issues and plans for the upcoming new year.

The most obvious development is the continued significant growth of air service at SRQ. In 2021 the airport saw a 156% increase in passenger traffic, with a record 3,163,543 travelers on our airlines. In the first 10 months of 2022, traffic is up an additional 25%, and the airport is well on track to hit over 3.8 million passengers. This is a nearly 2-million-passenger increase over the pre-COVID 2019 period, at a time when your local airport was already the fastest growing in the United States. The nearly 275% increase since 2018 is unprecedented.

Additionally, five new cities have been added to the destination map this year, bringing the total nonstop city pairs to 55. That is 43 new city pairs since 2018. The increased service brings tremendous economic benefits and jobs to our region and provides tremendous pricing and schedule choices for the consumer.

SRQ: Airline announces new flights at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport

Indicators: Unselfish dedication of SRQ employees provides enormous source of relief

Not only has the airline side grown, but our general aviation segment continues to grow as well. A third general aviation service provider, Sheltair, signed a long-term lease and is in the initial stages of a $32 million private investment in the airport. Additionally, three other leases have been signed by smaller private general aviation firms that will also invest millions in facilities at the airport. This is another economy and jobs generator for the community.

The final item for 2022 I want to mention is our continuing work to bring an educational element to the airport. The Team Success Charter elementary school is due to be open in fall 2023. Manatee Technical College received a $5.5 million grant towards the airframe and power plant mechanics school to be built on the airport, and we are working with the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee on developing an aeronautical engineering program there as well.

Again, this will help develop job skills for our youth and assist in attracting other aviation-related businesses to our area, creating more economic benefit for the entire region.

All this growth, however, does not come without its challenges. During 2022 the airport spent a great deal of time and effort in developing the finances and planning documents to handle the growth. Given the airport is a piece of transportation infrastructure, it is not easy to simply add facilities to cope with such significant growth in a short period. The airport has primarily handled the initial challenges by adding as many personnel as possible in what is arguably a difficult labor market, while we designed the facility changes.

I am happy to say that several projects totaling $165 million will be getting underway in the first quarter of 2023.

The most significant one will be the addition of five new ground boarding gates at the east end of the terminal. This project is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will add much-needed terminal space, new food and retail concessions, and added security screening lanes.

Another major project is a new $46 million baggage screening system that will greatly increase the capacity and efficiency of the baggage system, ensuring your luggage makes it on the aircraft in a safe and secure manner.

A new $8 million ground transportation center is being built at the end of baggage claim that will provide all-weather shelter for our passengers and much greater capacity for everything from taxis to transportation network carriers, shuttles, and municipal buses.

A new cellphone lot with restroom facilities, vending machines, and arrival display boards is due to break ground this month, greatly enhancing the amenities for those waiting to pick up friends, relatives, or business associates.

Finally, three new surface parking lots that are now simply grass areas should get underway in late spring to improve our parking facilities. They will have paving, lighting, security fencing and cameras, as well as automated entrance and exit machinery, making your parking experience easier. The hope is that once these facilities are completed, there will be enough excess parking to allow the airport to close the parking area in front of the terminal and go vertical to allow for much more convenient capacity right in front of the terminal.

Your airport is very grateful for the patronage that you, within the community, have provided, and your patience is greatly appreciated as the airport continues to work to address this unprecedented growth

Rick Piccolo has been president and chief executive officer of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport since 1995 and serves on various international aviation, business and charitable boards. He can be contacted at Fredrick.piccolo@srq-airport.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: RICK PICCOLO: SRQ is keeping pace with healthy, unprecedented growth