SWF International still setting records
August passenger traffic up nearly 10 percent
SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY

COURTESY PHOTO Passenger traffic was up 7.6 percent in August compared to last year at SWF International Airport.

Passenger traffic was up 7.6 percent in August compared to last year at Southwest Florida International Airport with over 5.8 million passengers using the facility this year. August was another record-breaking month with 488,539 passengers flying in and out of the airport. This total represents a 9.4 percent increase from last August. In addition, over 3.3 million pounds of airfreight moved through the airport in August 2007.

"The airlines that serve the airport kept flights for the summer months and we are happy to see that our passenger traffic has kept pace with the additional flight capacity," said Robert M. Ball, executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. "August marks the 13th month of record-breaking traffic at Southwest Florida International Airport and we are delighted to provide our community with top-notch air service."

Delta led the way in August with 67,959 passengers traveling to and from Fort Myers. The other airlines that rounded out the top five in terms of total passengers were Southwest (63,784), Air Tran (48,604), JetBlue (48,141) and US Airways (46,902).

Also noteworthy, aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) at both airports operated by the Lee County Port Authority rose in August. At Southwest Florida International Airport, there were 5,975 aircraft movements recorded, marking a 9.2 percent increase, and Page Field General Aviation Airport saw an increase of 18 percent with 5,797 movements.

Southwest Florida International Airport served more than 7.6 million passengers in 2006 and is one of the top 50 busiest U.S. airports. For more information, log onto www.flylcpa.com