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.
Nov. 1, 2016, marked a new era for Ontario International (ONT), as ownership, management and operation of the Southern California airport returned to local control. The Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA), formed through a joint powers agreement between the city of Ontario and San Bernardino County, assumed control from Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) after a successful campaign to “Set Ontario Free.”
As part of an ongoing effort to improve the passenger experience, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) recently debuted more than 80 new common-use self-service units (CUSS) in its International Terminal.
Chasing away unpleasant memories from massive backups at TSA checkpoints last spring, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) opened five new automated screening lanes in November.
At 221 feet tall, the new air traffic control tower at San Francisco International (SFO) was designed to be functional and create a new visual landmark. Occupying prime real estate between terminals 1 and 2, the tower features nearly 150 vertical feet of glass and an LED light array to provide the iconic look that airport officials desired. At the same time, the tower and base building incorporate sustainability features and cutting-edge seismic technology designed to meet the needs of the airport and FAA well into future.
With a notoriously vexing airfield configuration, Long Beach Airport (LGB) in southern California is leading the charge for an FAA initiative to reduce runway incursions throughout the United States.
Following a series of high-profile security breaches at Mineta San Jose International (SJC), the airport teamed up with local and federal agencies and is working toward a safer, more secure facility through perimeter fence upgrades and technology enhancements.
Community support for West Michigan Regional (BIV) in Holland, MI, is highly visible to anyone arriving at the general aviation airport. Literally. Contributors who donated to the “Earn Your Wings” fundraising campaign will be formally recognized on a permanent display in BIV’s new Airport Business Center, the primary showpiece of a $7 million improvement program that also added a parking lot and expanded the existing aircraft apron.
When the main runway at Alaska’s Yakutat Airport (YAK) experienced damage from harsh hydrogeological conditions, the state’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities tread carefully when crafting a solution. As owner and operator of the airport, the department knows that any project in the lowlands area around the Gulf of Alaska includes extra hurdles-specifically weather and logistics.
With the recent addition of a sweeping skylight in its main lobby, Norfolk International Airport (ORF) finally has the grand connection to nearby botanical gardens its original 1970s design intended. According to ORF officials, the 10,000-square-foot skylight and other elements of the airport’s $34 million renovation program create a terminal that is modern and aesthetically stunning, and also more efficient and better equipped to meet current and future passenger needs. A $6 million project updated ORF’s general aviation facility.
When Executive Director Michael Olson first came to Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI) in 2005, commercial air service was sparse. A few years later, it was completely nonexistent for a brief time. “We knew we had to make some changes to our program,” Olson recalls.
The decision to renovate or build new is often viewed as a high-stakes fork in the road, but Port Columbus International (CMH) seems comfortable straddling the common divide. In March, the Ohio airport celebrated the end of an $80 million terminal renovation program while maintaining its options to build a new midfield terminal in the future. Fresh finishes, an infusion of natural lighting and updated mechanicals were completed to bridge the gap until passenger numbers establish a clearer path toward ground-up construction.
The new 2.1 million-square-foot rental car center at San Diego International (SAN) consolidates the busy airport’s car rental operations under one roof to maximize operational efficiency and enhance service for customers. Given the airport’s active car rental market (more than 1 million transactions per year) and limited overall footprint (661 acres for all airport operations), the project was a tall
order to fill.
In June 2015, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) completed a $23 million cargo expansion project designed to support the growing cargo demand the airport is experiencing and hopes to increase.
Terminal renovation projects often provide shiny new flooring, fresh paint and updated fixtures. But they can also be an excellent opportunity to spruce up dated marketing strategies. Gerald R. Ford International and Louisville International are both seizing the chance to renovate their brand identities while remodeling their facilities.
In mid-October, Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) opened a new terminal, bringing the world of international travel to its passengers. The five-gate facility is the first international terminal for Southwest Airlines, which fully funded and led the development of the project.
When Signature Flight Support opened a new $82 million corporate aviation facility at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International (SJC) in early November, airport officials were thrilled to have a second fixed base operator on the field. They also viewed the new tenant as a larger symbol of what is and has been happening at the airport that serves California’s Silicon Valley. One of the primary tenants at the new facility is Blue City Holdings, which represents the principals of Google. In fact, the company financed a significant portion of the hangar development, reports Signature.
Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) is proving that one size does not fit all when it comes to air service development.
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.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is nearly halfway through an ambitious three-year project to bring all four runways at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) into compliance with FAA runway safety area requirements.
The $229 million renovation of Terminal 5 in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) wrapped up this summer on time and on budget, with optimism high about how it will enhance the travel experience for about 6.6 million domestic passengers who use the facility each year. With Delta Air Lines as the terminal’s sole airline tenant, the initiative was cooperatively funded by Delta ($11.2 million to renovate its proprietary areas and equipment), a TSA grant ($25 million for inline baggage screening) and nearly $193 million by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates LAX, Los Angeles Ontario International and Van Nuys Airport.
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.
“Out with the old, in with the new” is often the sentiment that drives large-scale terminal improvement programs. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) took a different approach during the recent $70 million renovation of its mid-century Terminal 1, by working to preserve iconic architectural elements while infusing efficiency, flexibility and modern systems to carry the facility into the future.
The winds of change are blowing in Kansas. In January, Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) announced its new name, Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport; and officials plan to unveil a new $160 million passenger terminal building and $40 million parking garage/rental car center in May. Together, the projects create a new front door for the city that highlights its heritage as “air capital of the world.”
