Local: New airport terminal plans unveiled

The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria on Wednesday will see renderings of the proposed $60 million terminal planned for 2010, the Journal Star is reporting this evening. The new building will be built just west of the current terminal and preparation work is expected to take place this summer.

The existing terminal opened in May 1959 and has been expanded several times since. An expansion project begun in 1968 added the underground baggage claim area and the upper level to the main building. The concourse opened in November 1970, and was extended east in 1998 and again in 2001 to accommodate additional service. The first jetway, for TWA, was installed in 1984. Two more jetways, for Ozark Airlines and United Air Lines, were installed in 1986. Subsequent concourse extensions have added two more jetways for a total of five. The original three jetways were replaced in 2006.

The current terminal has eight gates, six of which are in use (the other two can accommodate only smaller commuter planes). The new facility will have nine gates, all jetway-capable, with room for expansion.

Comments on the JS website have generally been negative toward construction of the new facility. These comments are rooted in opposition to runaway government spending on unnecessary projects. While I can understand these sentiments, I don’t agree with them. The existing terminal is old and would need extensive renovation anyway. But such would serve to disrupt efficient airline operations so a new terminal was deemed a better alternative.

The Greater Peoria Regional Airport’s success the past several years is something we can be proud of, and much of the credit goes to Executive Director Ken Spirito, whose energetic and never-ending quest for more service has paid off for local air travelers.