Southwest Florida Airports: Cleared for Takeoff

Southwest Florida’s airports are experiencing some turbulence.

The ups: more passengers and more flight options—to Germany, Ohio or even closer destinations, such as Tallahassee.

The downs: the loss of carriers, such as Delta in Naples, and funding concerns.

"The aviation and airline industry is one of constant and continued turmoil. It’s very difficult for airlines to run a business as they deal with old federal regulations," says Robert M. Ball, executive director of the Lee County Port Authority. "I project we will see consolidation and merger activity, and if not, potential liquidation of the airlines. There are just too many empty seats flying and too much seating capacity for anybody to make any money."

Despite those factors, passenger figures have continued to grow at Southwest Florida International Airport, which turns 25 this year. The airport’s economic impact as of 2005 was about $3.6 billion, or almost 8 percent of the area’s total economy, up from $2 billion in 1999. Its monthly passenger traffic continued to break records in 2007 and was expected to top the 7.6 million passengers it served in 2006.

"We’re definitely outpacing the growth of other airports," Ball says.

Changes also are happening at the region’s other airports. The Charlotte County Airport entered 2008 with the addition of Skybus, the first commercial airline to offer service to Punta Gorda in 23 years. The airline, which debuted in early December, offers daily flights to Columbus, Ohio; Portsmouth, N.H.; and Greensboro, N.C., with 150 seats.

Planes continue to fill the runways at Naples Municipal Airport, where new alternatives for air travel, particularly in-state service, will be introduced in 2008. After Delta pulled out of Naples last year, Vintage Props & Jets, which is based in New Smyrna Beach, started service in mid-December, offering much-needed service to Tallahassee and Tampa.