Work has begun on a $16.6 million construction project designed to expand Burlington International Airport’s terminal and consolidate security checkpoints.
The federally funded project is set to add 33,440 square feet to the airport terminal, which is currently just under 200,000 square feet.
Airport officials say the updates would allow passengers to move through the facility more efficiently and, among other things, consolidate security checkpoints. The project is expected to be completed in just over a year.
The expansion is part of a long-term plan to modernize the airport and increase its capacity, according to Nic Longo, the airport’s deputy director of aviation. He said he hopes the project will allow the airport to handle more outbound passengers.
Federal Aviation Administration records show that 687,436 passengers boarded planes in Burlington in 2019, up 4.3% the year before.
It’s estimated that 1.5 million people pass through the terminal annually. American, Delta, JetBlue and United are among the airlines that serve the airport.
Longo thanked U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., for helping to secure the money from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Supplemental Airport Improvement Program earlier this year.
“This truly would not have happened without him,” Longo said.
Proponents of the project, including Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, said the addition and updates will make the city-owned airport safer and easier to navigate.
The project is a “foundational investment in the airport’s future,” Weinberger said.
The project is expected to expand the airport terminal’s second level and merge the airport’s existing two security checkpoints into one larger, faster one. It would provide more room for terminal gates, where passengers board and deplane.
“With this modernized and more efficient addition, the airport can expand, add gates, and add more airlines and travel routes,” Weinberger said.
Longo said the construction should have limited impact on current travel, since it is focused on expansion, not the current facility.
“What’s great about this project is that it’s nonintrusive to passenger operations and aircraft operations,” Longo said.
The airport struggled to get passengers through security quickly and efficiently in the pre-pandemic days of 2019. As the pandemic winds down and travel rebounds, Longo said, he hopes the project will allow the airport to deal effectively with the higher numbers.
