PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) – Pensacola International Airport is seeing around 10,000 passengers a day during the busy travel season, about a 10% drop from this time last year.
Airport Director Matt Coughlin said the decrease comes after Spirit Airlines’ abrupt shutdown last month.
The airport will get help from Breeze Airways, which will begin offering non-stop flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale seven days a week starting July 1.
“It’s been a huge help. They’re pretty much, with some of our other partners filling that vacuum especially to the Orlando and Fort Lauderdale markets. Frontier is another one that’s helping us as well. All of our airlines are doing well but those particular airlines are doing great to fill that void,” Coughlin said.
The airport is working on a $165 million terminal expansion project. The airport recently received $9 million through the FAA’s Airport Terminal Grant Program.
“That’s going to go towards the security checkpoint and there will be follow on grants. We have more grants that are waiting to be accepted, and we’ll use that for follow on projects,” Coughlin said.
The project will add a new five-gate concourse and a new expanded TSA checkpoint to help get passengers to their gate faster. Coughlin said they’re close to 90% finished with the design phase with construction set to start soon.
“It’s going to start with the ramp construction so that’s going to start this summer and then this Fall we’re going to move into the security checkpoint and that’ll move into the new concourse,” Coughlin said.
The terminal is scheduled to be finished in early 2028, which will bring several new jobs to the airport.
“Currently if you look at the airport today, we have about 2,000 plus people working here at the airport. We expect that to grow with the new concourse and terminal,” Coughlin said.
The airport said Breeze Airways is also expanding flights to Memphis, Tennessee, and Bentonville, Arkansas, from two days a week to four days a week in the near future.
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