Falls Int’l Builds New Terminal to Welcome International Passengers

After 10 years in the making, the city of International Falls, MN, recently debuted a fully rebuilt airport terminal to greet passengers travelling through the small community on the U.S./Canada border.  

Falls International Airport (INL) now includes a new U.S. Customs and Border Patrol area, TSA screening lane, National Weather Service office and the facility’s first jet bridge. Given the area’s cold winter weather, a large fireplace is proving to be a popular feature of the new 25,000-square-foot, single-gate terminal. 

“We rebuilt the whole thing,” says Bob Anderson, a longtime civil servant who simultaneously serves as city mayor and chairman of the International Falls-Koochiching County Airport Commission, a joint powers board that owns and operates INL. 

Increased aircraft operations and greater security demands after the 9/11 attacks led to the absolute need for a new terminal, explains Anderson. 

The process began in 2009 and wrapped up this May. SEH Inc., which has worked with the airport for more than 30 years, served as the prime consultant for the project, and Alliiance provided architecture and interior design services. In addition to addressing operational improvements, the team upgraded the facility’s dated appearance, with Alliiance offering a nod to the city’s European heritage via a design theme dubbed “Nordic Voyage, Nordic Frost.”

Bob Cohrs, SEH’s project manager, describes the result as a modern transportation space for a busy northern town. Specifically, the new terminal offers additional amenities and space for up to 100 passengers airside.   

“They need air service,” notes Cohrs. “From the community standpoint, this is their gateway; and today it’s a much more comfortable and inviting experience for the travelers.” 

International Intersection

Anderson explains that proximity to the Canadian border is a main attraction of International Falls. Travelers from around the world fly through INL to hunt, fish and enjoy other outdoor fun. Another economic driver for the small town is its climate, which provides the right conditions for cold weather product testing. Affectionately known as “the icebox of the nation,” International Falls has also served as a backdrop for winter-themed commercials for Cream of Wheat and DieHard batteries. 

Beyond the airport, the town is home to the busiest rail port in the United States, and a large bridge that connects Canada and the U.S.  

During summer, INL offers 14 commercial departures per week; in winter, the frequency drops to a dozen. In summer, the planes are often at full capacity, Anderson reports. Aircraft also refuel at INL before proceeding to destinations throughout Canada and the United States.

In order to meet the growing need of its international audience, the airport enhanced its Customs area. The new space occupies about one-quarter of the facility’s overall square footage. 

Destin Nygard, project manager at Alliiance, notes that designing the TSA and Customs areas for INL required about the same involvement with regulatory agencies as projects for large airports. 

“You have almost as much interaction and discussion if installing single gates or 10,” he observes. “You still need one of everything.” 

Step by Step 

A terminal feasibility study conducted a number of years ago by SEH Inc. revealed that the best location for INL’s new terminal was exactly where its current terminal stood. The project team subsequently split the project into two completely separate construction packages that happened to be about one year apart. During the first phase, the airport demolished part of the terminal and continued operating out of the remaining portion. Then, the second phase completed the new terminal. 

“It was 18 months of challenge,” jokes Anderson. “We had to build some temporary facilities to accommodate the ground handling crew and their equipment, because we had torn down their facility to make room for the new building.” 

Marcelo Pinto, Alliiance’s lead architect for the project, notes that functionality and flexibility were key concepts in the design. For instance, the airport needed a gate big enough for chartered 737s that occasionally visit.  

Cohrs says the biggest challenge of the decade-long project was securing the necessary funds. That challenge ultimately led the team to divide the project into two separate portions. Phase One addressed the public space for passengers, and the second focused on the TSA checkpoint, Customs facilities, a National Weather Service office, new conference room and administrative offices for the airport. 

“The funding was always an interesting component of this project, as the whole building needed to be split into different areas that were eligible, or not, for various funding pots,” he explains.