Fed grant will help fast track your luggage and boarding at Tri-Cities Airport
In early 2017, the Port of Pasco welcomed passengers to a sparkling new terminal at the Tri-Cities Airport.
The $42 million project married functionality with a soaring atrium and was meant to accommodate two decades worth of growth.
Almost eight years later, the airport is shattering passenger records, out of room and ready to embark on a fresh update to keep up with a growing number of airlines — six — serving a growing number of direct connections — 10.
The airport is on track to beat its 2019 passenger record this year with boardings running 6% ahead of last year.
“Everything is being used and everything is full,” said Buck Taft, airport manager.
A $4 million federal grant is kicking off a $23 million effort to make better use of the space, starting in the baggage makeup area, a garage-like space where screened luggage is deposited on a carousel before being ferried to waiting airplanes.
It was too small when the airport handled six or seven flights in the morning. Now that it has nine, it’s inadequate, though the airlines work together to keep operations flowing smoothly.
Tripling the size of the baggage area will cost about $10 million and improve the way airlines manage outbound flights.
“This is a big need for us,” Taft said.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D.-Wash., who helped secure $5 billion for federal Airport Terminal Program, toured the airport Friday to learn more about the project. The ATP program is part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is funding the initial Pasco grant.
Cantwell pledged to continue supporting the ATP program and requests from airports like Pasco. Airports anchor economic development and are key to growth, she said.
Taft said the port will continue to apply for highly competitive ATP funds as the renovation gets started.
The project includes creating counter space for American Airlines, which began flying between Pasco and Phoenix-Sky Harbor International in February. The route was so successful it added a second daily flight in September.
The airport project includes a new gate between gates 1 and 2 so that United can serve two flights at a time instead of routing passengers for two flights through a single gate.
A building extension will accommodate jet bridges to ease access on and off airplanes.
Collectively, the project is meant to match the number of spots for airplanes — nine — with the number of gates for passengers — seven at the moment.
The port initiated an environmental review of the expansion with documents indicating it plans three passenger boarding bridges, and an 11,300-square-foot building expansion.
Go to flytricities.com.