Armstrong Airport terminal expansion delays opening to February 2019
Opening of the new Louis Armstrong International Airport terminal has been pushed back to February 2019 to allow all 35 gates of the expanding $993 million project to be ready on the first day, city officials said Thursday (March 16).
Construction began in January 2016 on a 30-gate terminal that was slated to open Oct. 1, 2018, at a cost of $807 million. The plan was recently expanded to 35 gates – with five additional gates installed in a separate wing – in response to an unexpected increase in passenger traffic and airline demand.
Mark Reis, interim aviation director, said the airport and airline companies considered whether to open the main 30-gate building as planned in October 2018 and simultaneously keep the old terminal open to traffic until the additional five gates are finished construction in February 2019.
But the airlines and airport agreed that it would be better for operations to open the whole terminal at the same time on Feb. 1, 2019, instead of a two-phased opening, he said. The design and environmental review process for the expansion is expected to be finished this spring.
Edgar Chase, John Besh, Emeril set for Armstrong terminal
An airport committee has recommended a mix of local and national restaurants to build in the new $807 million terminal.
The airport’s forecast for 2019 is an estimated 6.23 million passengers boarding flights, an 18 percent increase from the airport’s forecast of 5.28 million boardings when the new terminal project was approved in 2013, Reis said. Meanwhile, this year, airlines have added a 7 percent increase in seats available at Armstrong Airport, through a combination of more flights, larger aircraft and new destinations.
“We are growing at a record pace,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a news release. “Today, we have more airlines and non-stop destinations than ever before. I am confident this world class facility will be well worth the wait in 2019.”
The cost of the new terminal has also expanded to $993 million from the original $807 million cost for a 30-gate project. The added costs include $136 million for the additional five gates and $43 million in other changes agreed to by the airlines, such as the purchase of more jet bridges and more technology infrastructure, Reis said. The added costs will be covered by bond issues already approved by the New Orleans Aviation Board and City Council, officials said.
On Thursday, the Aviation Board gave final approval on the expansion.
The airlines that operate at Armstrong Airport are responsible for paying the debt service on the new terminal, because airlines guarantee that the airport will break even every year and pay expenses that aren’t covered by other airport revenues, such as food and beverage sales. The airport focuses on boosting food and retail revenues to cut airlines’ costs and attract more flights.
“Ultimately, the airlines, when all is said and done, the way our lease with the airlines works, they will end up paying the increased costs of the debt as part of their rates and charges,” Reis said.
The modern glass terminal was designed by a team that included renowned Argentinian architect Cesar Pelli. All of the gates are behind a single security screening area, rather than the current hodgepodge of concourses with separate security gates dating from different eras at the existing terminal. The project also includes a 2,190-car parking garage, a central utility plant and a ground transportation staging area.
The construction manager of the massive project is Hunt-Gibbs-Boh-Metro, a joint venture of Hunt Construction, Gibbs Construction, Boh Brothers and Metro Service Group. http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2017/03/armstrong_airport_new_terminal.html#incart_river_home