Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (SRQ), which serves the Sarasota and Tampa Bay areas, has announced that following Hurricane Milton, it lost its roof covering Concourse B and the screening checkpoint for all 13 aircraft gates.
Due to force of Milton, and widespread damage, the airport has noted it will remain closed for all commercial service flights until at least Wednesday, October 13 at 09:00
Hurricane Milton showed no mercy
The airport is working with recovery contractors to replace the 76,000-square-foot roof with a temporary structure. However, gate areas are already undergoing clean-up work, and remediation is taking place where water intrusions have affected the terminal building. The hurricane’s intensity also blew roof debris onto the aircraft ramps, and to ensure that there is no potential upcoming damage to visiting aircraft, extensive clean-up efforts are underway to remove loose trees and vegetation.
Photo: Ja7 | Shutterstock
General aviation flights have resumed at Sarasota, albeit there is no fuel availability for aircraft at the airport. Rental car counters also have. However, the airport has stressed that customers check with their providers over the phone first to reconfirm availability before traveling to the airport. Travelers looking to return to SRQ to collect their vehicles, which remained at the airport, can also do so from today.

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A challenging night for locals
While Hurricane Milton’s official landfall was registered as Siesta Keys (12 miles south of SRQ), weather instruments at the airport noted that the storm’s eye and eyewalls passed directly through the airport.
Wednesday evening, the airport’s weather reporting data, as published by Fox Weather, noted that the hurricane-strength gusts arrived at the front side of the airport around 19:15, with gusts recorded at up to 90 miles per hour. These extreme conditions continued for over 30 minutes, reaching 92-93 miles per hour at some points.
As the eye approached the airport, winds claimed at around 20:30 to 21:00. However, shortly after, the backside of the eyewall pushed through, with increasing wind gusts of 70 mph before increasing up to over 90 mph. Further records note single gusts of 97 and 102 miles per hour. Due to these conditions, the airport’s weather reporting data stopped, likely as it ran out of power.

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Remaining connected
The airport’s social media team remained active throughout Hurricane Milton’s arrival and departure. It stressed that upcoming passengers should check with their respective airlines before traveling to the airport (one that has reopened) to re-confirm any airline status changes.
There have been no reports of major damage to the airport’s upcoming new Concourse A, which will contain five new gates and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The new concourse will increase passenger capacity at SRQ by 2.5 million travelers per annum.