Gallery: Top 12 Airport Projects in Fall 2023

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina broke ground on a new, longer primary runway aimed at attracting more long-haul widebody passenger and cargo services. The new runway will stretch 10,639 ft., longer than the existing 10,000-ft. primary runway. The $500 million runway project is expected to last until the 2028-29 timeframe.

Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) broke ground Oct. 9 on its fifth passenger terminal, kicking off a three-year construction project. The facility is expected to cost around $404 million to build, which will be financed by airport bonds, Florida Transportation Department grants and passenger facility charges. 

FLL’s Terminal 5 will be “designed as a two-level, five-gate domestic terminal with check-in/ticketing areas, arrival/departure baggage processing, a security screening checkpoint and retail/food and beverage concessions,” the airport says in a statement. The terminal will span approximately 230,000 sq. ft. and be situated to the east of the airport’s Terminal 4. A mid-2026 opening is targeted.

Des Moines International Airport (DSM) in Iowa began construction on a new passenger terminal, which will increase available gates from 12 to 18. The $445 million terminal, expected to begin opening in late 2026, will replace the airport’s existing terminal.

The Port of Seattle Commission approved a final project budget of $399 million for the expansion of the C Concourse at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), which aims to be substantially completed in 2026. The project is said to transform the area where C and D Concourses meet by adding four floors to the building’s current three floors. The project will create one floor of office space and three floors of new public space for customer service amenities, adding new dining and retail, premium lounge space, an interfaith prayer and meditation room, nursing room and outdoor viewing area.
 

The Czech Republic’s Finance Ministry approved a long-term development plan for Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG), which calls for an increase in annual capacity to 21.2 million passengers and a doubling of peak hourly capacity by 2030. The approved plan also aims to increase PRG’s overall routes to 200 by 2030, up from 160. The airport also wants to increase long-haul routes from 21 to 37 by 2030.

The first phase of the expansion will add 3,500 automobile parking places, 54,000 sq. ft.) of retail space, 420 onsite hotel rooms and more than 86,000 sq. ft. of lounge space, a fivefold increase.
 

Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia will undergo a makeover to expand its terminal from 10,500 sq m to 65,000 sq m (113,000 sq. ft. to 700,000 sq. ft.), as part of long-term plans to make aviation a central plank of its diversifying economy. The expansion will include the construction of passenger jetways, self-service facilities for passenger check-in and baggage handling, and high-capacity parking facilities. The new airport will feature 20 gates, together with 41 check-in counters with seven self-service check-in desks.
 

Australia’s Canberra Airport Group plans to invest in Vast Solar, a developer of concentrated solar thermal power systems, with an eye to using the renewable-energy technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airport operator has entered into a subscription agreement to purchase up to $10 million of Vast shares. The agreement is subject to Sydney-based Vast going public through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company Nabors Energy Transition Corp.

The Narita International Airport Corp. (NAA) is building a new cargo terminal at the Tokyo airport, aimed to increase the handling capability especially in the area of pharmaceuticals and perishable food. Cargo Building 8 will be leased to All Nippon Airways, and when ready by October 2024, it will be the airline’s largest cargo terminal. Spanning 61,000 sqm (656,000 sq. ft.), including. 38,000 sq m of warehouse area, the two-story building will be consolidated with the adjacent Cargo Building 7.
 

Changi Airport Group (CAG) completed a 3.5-year upgrade and renovation of Singapore Changi Airport’s Terminal 2 (T2), which increases T2’s handling capacity by 5 million to 28 million passengers annually. This expands Changi’s overall yearly capacity to 90 million travelers across its four terminals.
 

Manas International Airport (FRU), located 16 mi. from the capital Bishkek, has signed a deal with De Havilland Canada for a pair of Dash 8-400s, which are expected to be delivered next May. The acquisition is connected to a government strategy, led by President Sadyr Japarov, to “significantly increase” Kyrgyzstan’s domestic route network and lower the cost of airline tickets for passengers.
 

The new satellite terminal (SAT-1) at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) opened Sept. 29 to increase the capacity at the overcrowded facility. Costing THB35 billion ($1 billion) to build, the 251,000-sq m SAT-1 will eventually allow BKK’s annual passenger volume to increase from 45 million to 60 million.

Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants, announced by US Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.), include a $6.4 million grant from FAA for airfield work at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and a $5 million grant for infrastructure work to rehabilitate the runway at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), a regional airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania.