b'OPERATIONS AZA59For Minor and his crew, the most stressful portion came near the end, when a crane lifted the two steel structures into place atop the 120-foot-tall base tower. Workers had to fit the massive pieces above and around a 30-foot-tall precast AZAs west side. Long-term planselevator shaft, with just 1 inch of clearance on three sides. Before the heavy pieces call for a new terminal campus eastwere lifted, quality control agents used laser scanning, models and other detailed of the airfield, though airport leadersmethods to verify that each piece would properly align. say initial work on that development is likely more than a decade away.The precision required to get that to slide right down over (the shaft) made everything more challenging, Minor says. Having folks 150 feet up in the air For now, its the private sectorguiding this in; a crane operator trying to maneuver this in; making sure the anchor that is making major improvementsbolts all lined up and it slid right into placethats a memory Ill never forget.along the airports eastern perimeter. SkyBridge Arizona, a 360-acre multi-use project, has leased a nearly 60,000-square-foot hangar to Gulfstream Aerospace and is developing the first air cargo hub to offer joint U.S./Mexican Customs inspection facilities. Separately, Virgin Galactic is building hangars to assemble its Mothership and associated spacecraft for forthcoming commercial space service. Another nearby master development, Gateway East, will house non-aeronautical businesses and air service support providers across a 300-acre site adjacent to AZA and two major Arizona highways.What we have that Sky Harbor does not is a significant amountCof land adjacent to our threeM10,000-foot-long runways, explainsYJ. Brian ONeill A.A.E., executive CMdirector/chief executive officer of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway AirportMYAuthority. Were never going to be aCYhub for American Airlines or a focusCMYcity for Southwest Airlines. But youre Kgoing to see other aviation-related companies come here, joining Virgin Galactic, Gulfstream, Cessna andApril 25 - 28, 2023Embraer in calling Gateway AirportSeattle, WAhomeAs we continue to growSheraton Grandthat, the trickle-down economic sustainability for the entire region is incredible. These days, AZA contributes more than $1.8 billion annually to the regional economy. And ONeill saysACI-NAs Airports@Work Conference brings together that none of the airports recent orthe most complex facets of airport operationssafety, projected growth would be possiblesecurity, environment, technology, and technical affairs without the new tower and otherfor a collaborative discussion about todays challenges infrastructure investments.and tomorrows opportunities.AirportImprovement.comJanuary | February 2023'