Passenger decline at Southwest Florida International Airport continues for three months

Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) has faced a decline in passenger numbers for the first three months of 2025, marking a third consecutive month of reduced traffic year-over-year. Typically, these months are among the busiest for Florida airports due to favorable weather and tourist influx. However, the pattern at RSW deviated this year.

According to reports by News-Press, more than 1.4 million passengers traveled through the airport in March, a 3% decrease compared to over 1.5 million in March 2024. The Lee County Port Authority highlighted that March 2024 was the airport's second-highest month in passenger numbers, only surpassed by March 2022's record of 1.51 million.

Despite overall increased operations, with over 12,000 reported for March 2025, there has been a significant reduction in passenger traffic from the previous record-breaking year of over 11 million passengers in 2024. Southwest Florida International operates as a secondary facility without major airline hubs, yet services diverse airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and others.