While a striking new 972,000-square-foot terminal typically gets the glory when it comes to recent projects at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), there’s more going on than the $1.029 billion capital improvement program. When operations move to the north side of the airfield this fall, a new hydrant fueling system and fuel farm will begin operating to support them.
Not that New Orleans needs a reason to party, but the opening of the new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY) will surely merit some hearty celebrations. After nearly four years of construction and four delays of the opening date, the new 35-gate facility is scheduled to open this fall. But before the music plays and confetti flies, the airport has to make the move to its new home on the north side of the airfield.
In late 2018, Dallas Love Field (DAL) wrapped up an $8.8 million renovation to ease congestion in its Checked Baggage Resolution Area (CBRA). Looking beyond traditional fixes, the project team deployed Mobile Inspection Tables to speed the area’s flow and improve conditions for the TSA personnel who work there.
When the Western Concourse is completed, Terminal B will include a total of 35 gates and feature dual pedestrian bridges that span active taxi lanes and connect the main departures and arrivals hall (known as the headhouse) with the two island concourses. In all, there is 1.3 million square feet of new space. The larger project also includes a central hall, central heating and refrigeration plant, parking garage, associated airside development, roadway/bridge infrastructure serving the entire airport and utility upgrades.
Like many other airports throughout the industry, Denver International (DEN) was unnerved when Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) experienced a massive power outage in December 2017. In addition to causing an 11-hour blackout at the nation’s busiest airport, the outage impacted air travel throughout the country and prompted airports around the globe to take a second look at their own power systems.
Passenger traffic has been on a steady rise at Oakland International (OAK) over the last five years, and airport officials are working to make sure the facilities can meet current and future demand. Recent projects have targeted structural integrity and the customer experience as top priorities.
Have you met Annie the Astronaut’ Can you spot Fred the Fish’ Annie and Fred are just a couple of the creations that Orlando International Airport (MCO) presents to visitors on a digital ecosystem that so far includes 1,231 high-definition displays.
The central location of Dallas Love Field (DAL)’just seven miles northwest of the downtown business district’is a double-edged sword. While ultra-convenient for travelers, the airport is surrounded on nearly all sides by residential developments, which presents myriad challenges when it comes to ‘keeping the peace.’
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) recently completed a $333 million renovation of Terminal 1 to improve the experience for travelers and offer more operational capacity and flexibility.
With passenger volume expected to reach 85 million by 2037, Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) is taking steps to ensure its facilities are ready to meet the needs of passengers well into the future.
Jim Gill, president and chief executive officer at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR), is the first to admit that he uses the word ‘collaboration’ a lot when talking about the Grand Rapids, MI, airport’especially its $45 million Gateway Transformation Project. But with $17 million of the total cost coming from private donations, it is difficult to find a better descriptor.
Blockchain is the buzzword in information technology today, and airports such as Miami International (MIA) are paying attention. ‘It’s our charter as IT executives to look at technology and see how we can insert it into our ecosystem to improve processes,’ says Maurice Jenkins, information systems and technology director at MIA. ‘Some work, some don’t. You never can tell until you see how well you can actually apply it.’
Valentine’s Day was extra sweet for Tampa International Airport (TPA) this year. The growing Florida facility opened two substantial new pieces of infrastructure to the public: a $323 million consolidated rental car center and a $412 million automated people mover. Both projects were designed to reduce curbside congestion at the terminal, improve customer service and pave the way for future passenger growth.
Since 2006, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) has been incrementally transitioning its airfield lighting from incandescent to light emitting diode (LED) technology. Dave Garrett, the airport authority’s electrical department manager, explains that the switch has several benefits, including energy savings, product longevity and’to a certain degree’reduced maintenance.
Prior to the Great Recession in the early 2000s, officials at Tucson International (TUS) were making plans to expand their aging two-concourse terminal to accommodate growing traffic. But as the economy took its toll on the airline industry by way of consolidation, they realized that expansion was no longer necessary at the origination/destination airport.
Most terminal connectors are simple structures’enclosed hallways without much additional utility or aesthetic flourish. The five-level connector that opened at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 2016 is an entirely different story. The new, modern facility that joins Terminal 4 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal includes a checked baggage inspection system, an interline baggage transfer facility, its own TSA passenger checkpoint and a public plaza with outdoor seating.
After four years making do with an alternate landing surface, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) is pleased to be operating with its primary runway back in business. Pronounced and accelerating damage caused by an alkali-silica reaction in the original pavement prompted XNA to close Runway 16-34 for a complete rehab in June 2012 and now the airport is addressing the same issue on the rest of its airfield.
Like other airports in Canada’s northernmost territory, Iqaluit International Airport (YFB) on Nunavut’s Baffin Island plays a vital role connecting the region to the rest of the world. The airport’s new 9,800-square-meter terminal, which opened in August, will also keep far-flung residents connected to one another, as it includes a central gathering space that will be used for local meetings and civic events as well as arrivals and departures.
Closing a runway for any amount of time is hardly a popular idea. However, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) recently found that a series of weekend closures was the best way to perform necessary upgrades at its busy airfield safely and efficiently.
Last year, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) served 2.7 million travelers-quite a jump from just 25,000 passengers in 2005. PortsToronto, which owns and operates the Ontario airport, has invested in several upgrades to meet the growing demand. Improvement projects began on the landside and are now migrating to the airfield.
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) celebrated another milestone of its $2.7 billion Terminal Renewal & Improvement Program (TRIP) in January, with the completion of renovations in Terminal A. The $650 million Terminal A project kicked off in 2011 and, like the entire capital program, centered around improving the customer experience.
Los Angeles International (LAX) recently experienced a monumental shift that had nothing to do with seismic activity or regional fault lines. It was a self-induced shift to relocate Delta Air Lines that ultimately affected more than two dozen carriers.
Last fall, YYC Calgary International Airport (YYC) in Alberta capped its $2 billion airport development program with the opening of a new five-level, 2 million-square-foot terminal brimming with state-of-the-art technologies (see list to the left for specifics). Together with a 14,000-foot runway that opened in June 2014, the projects represent the largest single infrastructure program in the airport’s history.
When infrastructure constraints preclude loading and unloading aircraft at the terminal, airports need to get creative. Mobile boarding ramps and airside buses are two options operators are using to keep passengers safe and comfortable as they enter and exit planes on the tarmac.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is no stranger to construction projects. Since 2009, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has been hard at work on a $14 billion capital improvement program at LAX and garnering the distinction as the largest public works program in the city’s history.
