11 AirportImprovement.com September 2026 TERMINALS FCA after initial evaluations of FCA: The terminal had to be bigger and more representative of its region. The holdrooms, says the Montana native, were relics of an outdated era when smaller aircraft served FCA; they did not have adequate seating for the airport’s current fleet mix of larger Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. Dubbe also describes the previous aesthetic as functional but lacking any allusions to the magnificent surrounding landscape that’s ringed by rugged mountains. Drawing inspiration from Glacier Park structures and Central Europe’s massive, historical mountain lodges, Dubbe intended to erase any vestiges of FCA’s 1980s-era appearance. “I recognize some styles stick with certain time periods, but that’s what I felt this airport should not be,” he says. Instead, Dubbe sought to create a “timeless piece” that shapes travelers’ experiences moving through the aviation gateway to a beloved national park. Mead & Hunt consequently held a series of workshops to school airport authority board members about basic aspects of airport design. Field trips to other Montana airports were held to lean into how and why certain spaces might be perceived differently based on factors such as natural vs. artificial lighting, or ceiling height. “These individuals are so fiercely proud of their surrounding region; so the first image we ever showed them was a [rendering of] an uninterrupted wall showing the mountains,” Dubbe notes. That visualization, in turn, created interest among board members in a wide-open central terminal area that later became FCA’s Great Hall. Continuing with a mountain lodge aesthetic, the design palette was simplified Advancing airports with vision & precision. meadhunt.com/aviation Orlando Executive Airport, FL Grand Canyon National Park Airport, AZ Cavalier Municipal Airport, ND PHOTO: ANDREW BASSETT The project added six new boarding bridges from Oshkosh AeroTech
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