Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2026

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

MEM EVOLVING Terminal Modernization, Air Service Development Are Top Priorities For Terry Blue

BY CAROL WARD

ditor’s Note: At the start of 2024, Terry Blue took the helm at Memphis International Airport (MEM), replacing the retiring Scott Brockman. Blue, who previously served as executive vice president of operations and chief operating officer, joined the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority in 2015. Brockman’s departure came after the completion of a concourse modernization project that was finalized in 2022. Now, Blue is overseeing the airport’s next major capital project, a Terminal Modernization and Seismic Program. Blue spoke with AXN’s Carol Ward about the project, the airport’s concessions program and general passenger and air service growth trends. E

WARD: To set the stage, how is Memphis International Airport performing in terms of passenger traffic, and what are you expecting for the near-term future? BLUE: Backing up just a little over a year and a half ago, 2024 was a high-water mark for us for origin and destination passengers, where we set our record for O&D at 4.9 million passengers. In 2025, we fell just short of that a little bit at 4.8 million due to the beginning of a little bit of economic uncertainty at the macro level. The start of 2026 was a little soft, but we are very optimistic for this calendar year, as we’ve got several new flight offerings. We offer a nonstop service to more than 35 destinations, and in 2025 we gained 11 new flight launches, which marked the most in any one particular year since our post Delta [Airways] hub era. In 2025 Frontier Airlines brought back Las Vegas [service and have started service to] Phoenix again. Breeze [Airways] put a new destination on the map for us with San Antonio and

Southwest Airlines is launching service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS). The airlines are certainly bringing the aircraft to Memphis, and we’ve just got to get people to decide to get off the couch and take that trip. WARD: I assume air service development efforts are continuing. You never have enough, correct? BLUE: You know, you hit the nail on the head. I had one of our local elected leaders ask me one time, what is your target? You’ve got 35 nonstops. What’s your goal? And I said, sir, the answer will always be at least one more. Looking at where we may have some gaps in our destinations served, I would say the most significant areas are out to the West – at the top of the list are Seattle, San Diego

Above: Terry Blue, president and CEO, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority

Right: MEM’s O&D passenger traffic peaked in 2024, declined slightly in 2025 and was “a little soft” in the early part of 2026. Nevertheless, Blue is confident of further growth, and is heavily focused on air service development to boost traffic.

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AX NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2026