Airport Experience® News - Retail Issue 2026

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woven itself into the regional economy beyond the construction site itself. Industries including commercial construction, architectural services and advanced manufacturing across Utah have benefited from the ongoing development, and the finished airport is designed to keep that momentum going, with low airline operating costs supporting continued growth. Phase 4 wraps up this October, SLC moves from a facility defined by construction fencing and temporary walkways to one built for the next several decades of growth, a transition Wyatt and his team have spent years working toward. That growth comes with a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, earned partly through the concourse’s linear layout, which cuts taxi times and aircraft idling enough to save an estimated 4,800 metric tons of greenhouse gases a year, on par with removing 1,000 vehicles from the road. Airlines have also converted to electric ground support equipment at 96%, trimming another 8,000 metric tons annually. For Wyatt, the certification is proof the airport built for the next generation without losing sight of the costs involved in achieving operatoral goals.

Economic Dividends Realized An economic impact analysis found the construction supported more than 24,000 jobs and generated over $1 billion in local wages, with total economic output tied to the project reaching close to $10 billion. Every dollar spent on the improvements returns an additional $1.99 in indirect benefits to the local economy, a multiplier that speaks to how deeply the project has

Top: Phase 4 of the terminal redevelopment meets the traveler demands for space to relax before a flight. Above: Mr. Charlie’s Chicken Fingers is one of several local concepts opening this fall in the Phase 4 redevelopment program.

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2026