CONCORD -- Concord Regional Airport will have a new terminal in about a year. Construction is moving forward after city council approved a Federal Aviation Administration grant to fund the project. The new terminal will be for commercial flights. It’s a move city leaders say could mean more visitors and more airlines coming to Cabarrus County.
Concord Regional Airport is already working on new construction. Airport officials say a new ramp for larger plans is expected to be finished in about a week. In about a year, workers will also build a new commercial service terminal.
“Commercial has grown and it’s very useful and very popular in the community and it helps us because many people fly to Concord, surprisingly,” said Merl Hamilton, Concord’s Deputy City Manager.
Currently, visitors generate about $400.3 million in visitor spending in Cabarrus County. The Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau expects that number to grow with the possibility of new flights.
“New carriers coming in would connect us maybe to some Midwestern states, as well as other southern states,” said Donna Carpenter, the President and CEO of the Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Allegiant Air currently offers flights to and from parts of Florida.
“I think they’ll be more destinations they want to attend and certainly we’ve had a lot of people now enjoy the destinations down to Florida,” said Hamilton.
Allegiant Air has more than 90% occupancy on average for flights to and from Concord. City leaders say the project, which costs more than $6 million, will also help separate growing commercial flights from general aviation.
“Not only help move away the commercial flights themselves, but it will relieve that significant parking crunch that we have at the airport now particularly when NASCAR is in season,” said Hamilton.
Offering more flights and making sure all passengers and pilots have a comfortable experience is another goal.
“We would expect that it would increase our leisure traffic here and that always equals you know new attractions, new hotels, new restaurants,” said Carpenter.
Funds for the parking deck shown in the plans by Talbert, Bright and Ellington have not been approved yet. A vote by city council on money for the deck is expected in October.