Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport reopens Wednesday

SARASOTA, Fla (WSNN) — The Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) plans on reopening its doors on Wednesday, after almost a week of being closed after Hurricane Milton swept through the Suncoast.

The CEO of the airport, Rick Piccolo, said he is glad to finally continue their operations.

“The community needs air service, and we want to give them that air service,” he said. “We did over 4 and a half million passengers last year, and it’s been tough not being able to operate for a week, and I know passengers want to get back to normal, and we want to get back to normal.”

The reason for the airport closing came in as a result of Hurricane Milton’s destructive winds. The high wind speeds tore up a large portion of the terminal’s roof. Over 100,000 square feet of roofing had to be repaired using a temporary roof.

The new roof, however, was rigorously tested to withstand rain and thunderstorms, so that passengers are safe to maneuver the terminal.

SRQ spent this entire week repairing any water inundation and roof damage that the airport sustained. On the day after Milton, many areas were covered in water, ruining several carpets and flooring.

Tiles from the roof also had been damaged, falling to the ground and shattering.

Piccolo estimates that a total of $10,000,000 worth of damages was caused after Milton, and the week-long closing of the airport, lost them roughly $1,000,000 worth of revenue.

In the end, Piccolo and SRQ are happy to reopen, and hopefully get everyone home following Milton’s devastation.

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