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New Satellite Concourse Provides Efficient Gate Expansion at Nashville Int’l
New Satellite Concourse Provides Efficient Gate Expansion at Nashville Int’l
To accommodate increased passenger demand, Nashville International Airport® (BNA®) recently constructed a standalone Satellite Concourse adjacent to its main terminal. The 89,000-square-foot structure opened in October 2023 and now houses operations primarily for Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines.
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Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Bolsters Employee Security Screening Program
Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Bolsters Employee Security Screening Program
Efficiency and efficacy are the watchwords for employee security screening at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
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Denver Int’l Completes State-of-the-Art West Security Checkpoint
Denver Int’l Completes State-of-the-Art West Security Checkpoint
In the last two decades, passenger volume has nearly doubled at DEN, and security technology has changed considerably. As part of the airport’s Great Hall Program, a $2.1 billion capital improvement project, all checkpoints are moving up a level—both physically and technologically.
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Harry Reid Int’l Tests Self-Service Checkpoint
Harry Reid Int’l Tests Self-Service Checkpoint
For 23 years, TSA has screened passengers and their belongings at U.S. airports to help keep air travel safe. The traffic is staggering, with an average 2.5 million people passing through checkpoints at more than 430 airports each day, and even more during holidays and other surges.
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Safety Management Systems: Lessons from the Airline Sector
Safety Management Systems: Lessons from the Airline Sector
Nearly a decade ago, the FAA Safety Organization issued a final rule requiring Part 121 certificated operators—scheduled commercial airlines—to implement Safety Management Plans. The goal was to help carriers detect and correct safety risks before they become hazards.
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Historic Wildfires Prompt Kelowna Int’l to Move Commercial Flights From Day to Night
Historic Wildfires Prompt Kelowna Int’l to Move Commercial Flights From Day to Night
With wildfires raging throughout British Columbia last summer, two things kept Kelowna International Airport (YLW) ahead of the game: good working relationships with the provincial and national governments, and partners such as Nav Canada.
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Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Completes Five-Gate Addition
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Completes Five-Gate Addition
With an eye on growth and a heightened commitment to passenger comfort, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) unveiled a 30,000-square-foot terminal expansion in mid-February.
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New ARFF Facility Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for New Terminal at Monterey Regional
New ARFF Facility Boosts Efficiency, Paves Way for New Terminal at Monterey Regional
A new $9.9 million aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) station is enhancing operational efficiency at Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), as well as providing a more comfortable environment for the personnel that call it home for days at a time.
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Punta Gorda Closes Runway, Powers Through Rebuild Project
Punta Gorda Closes Runway, Powers Through Rebuild Project
File it under “good things come to those who wait.” The roughly year-long reconstruction and rehabilitation of the primary runway at Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) was a welcome improvement that took patience, planning and lots of enabling projects.
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Moving Walkways Replace Decades-Old Monorail at Tampa Int’l
Moving Walkways Replace Decades-Old Monorail at Tampa Int’l
Guests at Tampa International Airport (TPA) can now use a series of moving walkways to quickly travel through the long-term parking garage to the adjacent main terminal, and vice versa.
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New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger Congestion at Charlottetown Airport
New Outdoor Deck Relieves Passenger Congestion at Charlottetown Airport
While some airports have struggled to recover passenger traffic lost during the COVID-19 pandemic, the opposite is true at Charlottetown Airport (YYG) on Prince Edward Island in eastern Canada. In 2023, the airport recorded 402,686 passengers—an increase of more than 18% from 2022.
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Southwest Hangar Complex at Gulf Shores Int’l is Full
Southwest Hangar Complex at Gulf Shores Int’l is Full
If Gulf Shores International Airport (JKA) were a hotel, management could hang up a “No Vacancy” sign regarding its available hangar space. Airport Director Justin Fletcher proudly reports that all 13 sites of JKA’s Southwest Corporate Hangar Complex are filled.
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Hawaii Provides State-Owned Airports with Online Platform for Environmental Systems Management
Hawaii Provides State-Owned Airports with Online Platform for Environmental Systems Management
Recognizing the need for robust environmental systems management, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Airports Division provides a cloud-based, no-code system for its 15 state-owned and state-operated airports.
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Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is celebrating that longtime binational bond with a temporary art exhibit titled Espacios & Lines.
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Terminal Modernization at Boston Logan Has Passengers and Locals Seeing Red, But in a Good Way
Terminal Modernization at Boston Logan Has Passengers and Locals Seeing Red, But in a Good Way
Nearly 250 years after Paul Revere rode out of Boston warning of a pending advance by British Redcoats, a shimmering red coat of paint warmly welcomes international visitors to the modern airport in his colonial hometown.
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Lakeland Regional Switches to Cloud-based System for Airfield Maintenance Records

Mowing an airfield requires an organized process - especially in Florida, where grass grows quickly thanks to never-ending sun and ample moisture. Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), situated on 1,700 acres of land between Tampa and Orlando, enhanced its approach last summer by changing from one-dimensional paper recordkeeping to a more integrated cloud-based software system.

San Jose Int'l Brings Rubber Removal In-House

Removing rubber from runways is a significant maintenance expense at most big-city airports. As such, facility operators are continually debating the relative merits of outsourcing the job or investing in personnel and equipment to handle the ongoing task in-house. Given the cost and safety-sensitive nature of the work, it's a pivotal decision.

O'Hare Int'l Adds Control Tower to South Side of Airfield

A new air traffic control tower is always a big deal; but the commissioning at O'Hare International Airport (ORD), scheduled for mid-October, is bound to garner extra attention. The tower's non-traditional angular design will undoubtedly turn heads within the industry, and those who look more closely will find notable eco-friendly elements. Internally, the opening of the new south tower and runway it will serve moves the Chicago Department of Aviation one major step closer to finishing its $8.7 billion airport modernization program.

Salt Lake City Int'l Diversifies Deicing Options & Changes Purchasing Procedures

When environmental concerns prompted the FAA to ban ammonium nitrate (also known as urea) for pavement deicing, airports throughout the country had to find a replacement for the once-standard chemical. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) seems no worse for wear. Its crews now use three different deicing agents, and a revamped purchasing process helps the airport secure a competitive price for each one.

Immokalee Regional Decouples Runways & Installs New Pavement

Justin Lobb, manager at Immokalee Regional (IMM) in Florida, doesn't mince words when he recalls how badly the airport's north-south runway needed a major makeover: "The pavements showed signs of water intrusion and longitudinal cracking. The maze of drainage ditches between the runway and Taxiway B also presented maintenance challenges. Irregular grading had resulted in unsafe ponding and wildlife attraction conditions, and the area was accessible for maintenance only during the dry season."

Dayton Int'l Teams with Local Audubon Center to Discourage Birds from Flight Paths

It's no secret that aircraft and birds don't play well together. Dayton International (DAY), Ohio's third-largest airport and the historic birthplace of aviation, strives to keep the peace on its airfield by separating the two populations from one another.

Atlanta Int'l Goes All-In With LED Lighting & New Airfield Markings

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) recently completed two massive projects to relight and remark its airfield. Almost all of the work occurred simultaneously, from March 2014 to July 2015. Together, the improvements cost the airport about $34 million - with no outside funding.

Who's Your Role Model?

October
2015
Recently, I read an article about the steps Pfizer has taken to shape its internal culture. It really caught my attention that the pharmaceutical giant explicitly uses the provocative phrase "no jerks" to convey how management expects employees to behave.

Indoor Golf Concession is Par for the Course at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int'l

"Airports are more than simply points of departure and arrival. They are complex businesses in their own right," said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International World, at this year's Airport Service Quality Awards ceremony.

Mega-Makeover at Memphis Int'l Begins With Apron Upgrades

Memphis International (MEM) is embarking on an ambitious, multi-faceted plan to right-size its passenger terminal for a better fit with present and future traffic. The current priority, however, is airside enhancements.

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Featured Video

San Jose Int'l Brings Rubber Removal In-House

Removing rubber from runways is a significant maintenance expense at most big-city airports. As such, facility operators are continually debating the relative merits of outsourcing the job or investing in personnel and equipment to handle the ongoing task in-house. Given the cost and safety-sensitive nature of the work, it's a pivotal decision.

O'Hare Int'l Adds Control Tower to South Side of Airfield

A new air traffic control tower is always a big deal; but the commissioning at O'Hare International Airport (ORD), scheduled for mid-October, is bound to garner extra attention. The tower's non-traditional angular design will undoubtedly turn heads within the industry, and those who look more closely will find notable eco-friendly elements. Internally, the opening of the new south tower and runway it will serve moves the Chicago Department of Aviation one major step closer to finishing its $8.7 billion airport modernization program.

Salt Lake City Int'l Diversifies Deicing Options & Changes Purchasing Procedures

When environmental concerns prompted the FAA to ban ammonium nitrate (also known as urea) for pavement deicing, airports throughout the country had to find a replacement for the once-standard chemical. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) seems no worse for wear. Its crews now use three different deicing agents, and a revamped purchasing process helps the airport secure a competitive price for each one.

Immokalee Regional Decouples Runways & Installs New Pavement

Justin Lobb, manager at Immokalee Regional (IMM) in Florida, doesn't mince words when he recalls how badly the airport's north-south runway needed a major makeover: "The pavements showed signs of water intrusion and longitudinal cracking. The maze of drainage ditches between the runway and Taxiway B also presented maintenance challenges. Irregular grading had resulted in unsafe ponding and wildlife attraction conditions, and the area was accessible for maintenance only during the dry season."

Dayton Int'l Teams with Local Audubon Center to Discourage Birds from Flight Paths

It's no secret that aircraft and birds don't play well together. Dayton International (DAY), Ohio's third-largest airport and the historic birthplace of aviation, strives to keep the peace on its airfield by separating the two populations from one another.

Atlanta Int'l Goes All-In With LED Lighting & New Airfield Markings

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) recently completed two massive projects to relight and remark its airfield. Almost all of the work occurred simultaneously, from March 2014 to July 2015. Together, the improvements cost the airport about $34 million - with no outside funding.

Indoor Golf Concession is Par for the Course at Minneapolis-St. Paul Int'l

"Airports are more than simply points of departure and arrival. They are complex businesses in their own right," said Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International World, at this year's Airport Service Quality Awards ceremony.

Mega-Makeover at Memphis Int'l Begins With Apron Upgrades

Memphis International (MEM) is embarking on an ambitious, multi-faceted plan to right-size its passenger terminal for a better fit with present and future traffic. The current priority, however, is airside enhancements.

APEX Program Provides Peer-to-Peer Safety Reviews Worldwide

Airports Council International (ACI) forecasts that existing airport capacity will need to double by 2031 to handle more than 12 billion passengers and 136 million aircraft movements per year. The collective price tag for capital expenditures needed to service the increased traffic is estimated at more than $1 trillion. Yes, that's trillion with a "t."

Regional Development Spurs & Supports Hangar Construction at Spokane Airports

Spokane has a rich aviation/aerospace history, and the entity that owns and operates its airports is relying on that background to grow. Plans for growth, however, extend well beyond airport facilities and traffic to include the overall economy of Eastern Washington.

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Publisher's Blog

What’s in a Name?
I’m all for improving our airports. But do new names necessarily make them better?
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Industry Insider

Cyberattacks on the Aviation Sector: Threats, Trends and Strategies
The aviation industry has been a prime target for nefarious cyberattacks over the last few years.
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Project Nominations

Know of a project that should be covered in a future issue of Airport Improvement?

Artscapes

Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
Art Without Borders - San Diego International Airport (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is celebrating that longtime binational bond with a temporary art exhibit titled...
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