The rapid growth at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)’a whopping 230% increase in passenger volume in the last five years’has brought smiles to the faces of management. But it also created an associated increase in vehicle traffic that caused curbside congestion at the terminal.
There’s something inherently exciting and interesting about airports. That’s why it can be incredibly effective when an airport allows people outside the industry onto its property for fundraising events such as car shows or an old-fashioned tug of war against a 757 cargo plane.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is taking a metered approach to building its new Global Terminal, which is tentatively slated to begin construction in 2026 and open by 2030. In what could be considered a Mercury or Gemini mission to prepare for the highly anticipated new facility, ORD recently expanded, reconfigured and renovated Terminal 5.
Picture this: A small portion of the airfield at Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, MI, needs to be repaired. For safety purposes, low-profile barricades must be placed around the work zone. The area in question is about a quarter-mile from the shed where the barricades are stored, so crews would presumably need to haul the bulky barriers to the construction site in the back of a pickup truck, which can only carry five barricades at a time. The job requires 60 barricades, so that means 12 round trips and several hours of time.
As airport director, Shelley Peacock has transformed Arcadia Municipal Airport (X06) from a quiet place to land into a hot destination for general aviation pilots throughout the state and beyond.
Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) got three wins from one project when it completed a $60 million taxiway reconstruction in 2021. Taxiway A, which ran parallel to MYR’s sole runway and served its commercial terminal, was one of the few remaining vestiges of a former military base.
A few short years ago, Chris Hastert had heard about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) but didn’t know much about them. By March 2019, he was fully embroiled in the topic. That’s when the California Water Board began sending letters to all commercial airports in the state as part of its larger initiative about PFAS contamination in groundwater.
The state of Hawaii has a second permanent international entry point with the $58.7 million Federal Inspection Station completed at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA) last fall. The new facility replaces a temporary facility that federal officials said needed to be replaced if the airport wanted to accommodate a steady stream of scheduled international traffic.
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) focuses on moving people and cargo 365 days a year. Last year, the Upstate South Carolina airport entered a new arena’broadcasting’when it launched Carolina Traveler, a podcast about the airport and region.
It was 2019, and Clint Torp had just started his new job as director of Operations at Des Moines International Airport (DSM) in central Iowa. As the new kid on the block, Torp began familiarizing himself with the facility’s operations and processes. And it didn’t take long before he realized the data collection system DSM had in place wasn’t providing enough data or the right data. As a self-professed ‘data guy,’ Torp knew straight away that he wanted to make some changes.
When the CrossBorder Xpress terminal opened about six years ago, officials knew its pedestrian bridge directly linking Tijuana’s General Abelardo L. Rodriguez International Airport (TIJ) and the U.S. would be popular. What they didn’t expect was a 100% increase in passenger traffic.
Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) had expanded its terminal and amenities to accommodate an unprecedented boom in passenger traffic over the past decade. Now, the central Texas airport has also improved its behind-the-scenes operations with a new consolidated maintenance complex.
For years, personnel at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport (MBT) manually tracked aircraft to estimate daily traffic at the central Tennessee airfield. Based on crude visual tallies, MBT officials began this year thinking the general aviation facility logged about 225 operations per day.
The new $50 million jet fuel storage facility at St. Louis Lambert International (STL) nearly doubles the airport’s storage capacity to 3 million gallons. The fuel farm, which began operating in August, replaces an aging underground storage tank facility constructed more than 60 years ago.
Fredericton International Airport (YFC), in Canada’s far northeast corner, was built more than a half century ago to accommodate 200,000 passengers annually. The original building and facilities served their purpose aptly until about 10 years ago, when the New Brunswick airport began experiencing steady growth.
To-do lists at Colorado Springs Airport (COS) are no longer paperwork manila files, sticky notes or even email threads. Instead, maintenance tasks and work orders are managed in a sophisticated software program that tracks all aspects of general operations, from airfield and landside to terminal/facilities and information technology.
Replacing a dated and inefficient building, the new terminal includes more space, updated security and several firsts for APN: a passenger boarding bridge, an automated baggage system and airside restrooms. While adding the new amenities, the airport and design team also managed to pay homage to the region’s rich industrial background, storied maritime history and rustic Northwoods surroundings.
New signage is making it easier for drivers to navigate Broward County’s Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL). A comprehensive project substantially completed in December replaced aging signs with brighter, easier-to-read LED displays.
Paine Field (PAE), just north of Seattle, saved an estimated quarter of a million dollars and two months of time on recent ramp repairs by suspending commercial passenger flights and closing the terminal to complete the project while traffic was already slow due to COVID-19. The strategy also spared its airlines and passengers the service disruptions such work typically causes.
Robbie Lambert recalls his flight instructor repeatedly telling him, ‘If you can land at Paoli, you can land anywhere.’ It was a profound statement coming from an experienced veteran who once worked as a bush pilot in Alaska. ‘With practice, Lambert learned to navigate the challenges of Runway 2-20 at Paoli Municipal Airport (I42) in southern Indiana’and now serves as president of the Paoli Board of Aviation Commissioners.
Nashville International Airport (BNA) has completed numerous brick-and-mortar improvements in recent years to keep pace with the region’s booming economy and population growth. And now, BNA has an improved online presence as well.
House cleaning and redecorating like company coming to visit. Officials at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) went one step further and completed a $10.5 million concessions overhaul to prepare for a series of important guests expected to arrive soon.
There’s a new Midwestern location for aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) training, and it’s the only site in the U.S. where personnel can practice on and in a full-size Boeing 777. The new training center is located at Appleton International Airport (ATW) in northeast Wisconsin.
What used to be a standard 1990s food court in Terminal 1 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) is now a rustic Northwoods getaway, complete with cabin-like seating enclosures and a faux forest.
Last spring, David Prince was enjoying a Sunday afternoon barbecue with his family when he received a troubling phone call from work. Employees at Louisville Regional Airport Authority were suddenly unable to open shared files.
