Page 15 - B2B Spring19

HELENA REGIONAL AIRPORT EXPANSION
BY ALANA CUNNINGHAM
Construction is underway for the 12 million-dollar ex- pansion of the Helena Regional Airport terminal, and phase one of the multi-year project is nearing to be nished. Since the last terminal expansion completed in 2005, passenger airport tra c has increased by 22% and grown the past 4 consecutive years including 2018 which is up by 11%.
“20,000 square feet of new space will be added inside
of the secured area. The TSA checkpoint will be relocated out of the lobby and into the new level 1 space. Level 2
will include a secured side restaurant/bar area and new gate area seating for 500 passengers to accommodate the record growth,” said Helena Regional Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper, “the new space will have the ability to serve 6 aircraft simultaneously through new jet bridges.”
This project will also include additional restrooms, family restroom, faster WIFI, charging stations, and other amenities. Wadekamper also said that many of the design decisions came from feedback from airport, airline, TSA staff, and travelers.
The project itself is being completed in three phases over 2 years. Phase 1 started July of 2018 and is expected to be nished by the beginning of April. Phase 2 will begin at the end of April or the beginning of May and is expected to be nished in a year. Phase three is projected to start Summer
of 2020 and planned to be nished by Fall of 2020.
The expansion project is funded
through a combination of FAA
Airport Improvement Program
funds and Airport Revenues. No
local taxes or mil levies are being
used to fund the project. The FAA
Airport Improvement Program is
funded by a fee charged nationwide
on airline tickets, aviation fuel
sales, and air cargo transactions. A
portion of those funds is provided
to the airport for eligible portions of speci c infrastructure projects including some parts of airline terminals.
“We are proud that the expansion will not affect local taxpayers,” said Wadekamper.
The Helena Regional Airport is excited to transition out
of phase one, go into phase two and have travelers see the plans on paper come to life. Wadekamper also anticipates the airport tra c to grow and is excited for the expansion to be completed because it will allow the airport to add more service for travelers. ■
Jeff Wadekamper
SPRING 2019 | 15