Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2024

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

WARD: I know you are in the midst of a terminal expansion. Can you give me an overview of the project? THOMPSON: This is the largest expansion project in the airport’s history, and it falls under a program we call FATforward. It began with the construction of a new, four-level parking garage facility, which was completed a year ago. The next phase is the terminal expansion project, which will add about 97,000 square feet of terminal space and include two additional aircraft gates that can be used for both domestic and international flights.

WARD: What are you doing on the air service development front? Are there still holes in your schedule? THOMPSON: There are no holes in the schedule. The airlines have seen the potential, and in the past year we’ve seen tremendous growth in the number of seats in our market from our current airline partners, [who have] added frequency and up-gauged to larger aircraft. That’s allowed us to continue to not only recover, but to grow beyond pre-pandemic numbers. There are a lot of good things coming in 2024 on top of what we’ve already seen in 2023.

It also includes an expansion of our passenger screening checkpoint and construction of a new and expanded federal inspection service facility for international arrivals. It will include new concession offerings and state-of the-art systems and equipment, as well as a new baggage inspection system. It’s a progressive design-build project. We’re trying to get it constructed as easily and quickly as possible. We’re anticipating that it will open in the fall of 2025. WARD: What is the budget on the terminal expansion? THOMPSON: It’s about $150 million.

Left: Fresno Yosemite International Airport is undergoing a $150 million terminal expansion to meet growing demand.

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AX NEWS MARCH 2024