With the San Antonio International Airport’s (SAT) capital improvement project “Terminal Development Program” (TDP) officially in the works and underway, San Antonians can expect construction at the airport to continue for the foreseeable future, 但是一旦完成, SAT will be one of the premier airports across the country. During the Chamber’s September 董事会会议, board members received a briefing from City Manager Erik Walsh and Director of Airports Jesus Saenz on the Strategic Development Program, which was approved by City Council in November of 2021, and an overview of the current state of SAT.
2美元.5 billion Terminal Development Plan is a key component of the Strategic Development Program for SAT, slated to construct an additional Terminal (Terminal C), 机场的新入口, and a few other short-term capital improvement projects to address gate capacity and parking. Cost estimates are expected by the end of the year with environmental approval beginning in 2023 and construction beginning in 2024. As SAT stands now, JD Power just released their 2022 North America Airport Satisfaction Study， SAT排名第9th out of all Large Airports in North America, coming in six spots ahead of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
SAT目前有24个门, 16 gates in Terminal A and eight gates in Terminal B, but an additional three gates are set to open by the end of 2022. 在TDP结束时, SAT will have the capability to house 50 gates, 容量几乎翻倍. Terminal C which is set to house these gates will adhere to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) standards. One of these industry standards is terminal width. 国际机场, terminals are typically 120 feet wide, 然而SAT的A航站楼, 哪个是1984年建造的, currently sits 70 feet at its widest point. The tight spacing combined with the terminal being dual loaded, having gates on both sides as opposed to only one, is only a single representation of how SAT has been doing more with less compared to other competing airports. SAT移动10.4 million passengers in 2019, its best year to date. In 2022, the three gates set to be completed will increase passenger capacity by 1.3 million, and the total number of passengers for the year is estimated to hit 9.500万年. 另外, international travel in 2021 increased 60% from 2019, and the number of non-stop flights is now up to 40, exceeding the 39 non-stop flights from 2019. As SAT continues to rebound from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, service delivery will only continue to improve as the airport raises revenue, considering SAT is self-sufficient and doesn’t receive funding from the City of San Antonio’s general fund.
Airport expansion raises concerns over land encroachment issues and the possibility of being landlocked moving forward; however Saenz was quick to address during the board meeting that as the Chief Operations Officer for the Houston Airport System, 威廉·P. Hobby Airport (HOU) moved 18 million passengers with less square footage than SAT currently has and will have after completion of the TDP in 2028.
Putting the continued development of San Antonio at the forefront of the conversation, it is evident how essential capital improvement projects like the Strategic Development Program will be moving forward as they are a direct investment into San Antonio’s future and economic growth. 为此目的, the City of San Antonio recently announced SAT received two grants amounting to almost $8 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for two construction projects focusing on the Emergency Response Road Project and the West Apron Taxilane Reconstruction Project. Grants like these will allow SAT to modernize its existing sections, 比如A航站楼, and grant SAT the flexibility to align with modern aircraft advancements. 展望未来，Mr. Saenz made it clear SAT will be setting the industry standard and will continue to align its focus based on the needs and wants of passengers utilizing the airport.
根据U.S. 人口普查数据, San Antonio added more residents than any other city in the U.S. between 2020 and 2021 with 13,626 people moving to the Alamo City. 今天，作为7th 是美国最大的城市.S. with an estimated population of around 1.500万居民, San Antonio is no stranger to travelers and tourists, but as the effects of the pandemic continue to wear off and the city population continues to increase, the additional passenger capacity gained through the TDP along with other capital improvement projects will be crucial to ensure passenger satisfaction at SAT for decades to come.