CONCORD-- Each day the Concord Regional Airport has planes coming and going on their runway. Now, with the addition of a new commercial terminal, they hope to add even more flights, giving customers a more low-key flying experience compared to larger airports like Charlotte-Douglas International.
"If you think about that, there’s going to be a lot less people in the terminal, a lot less people going through TSA, and it’s just going to take that travel anxiety out,” said Aviation Director Rick Cloutier.
Right now the airport has three flights on average each and every day that are commercial flights, but with this new terminal here that they are building, they’ll be able to bring in up to 10 flights which will bring in about 1,500 people per day.
“It’s a great economic impact,” said Cloutier. “It’s going to bring more people to the area both inbound and outbound, and it allows us just to grow the region.”
The airport received money from the Federal Airport Improvement Program to make these additions happen. The plan also includes a new parking deck.
The plans have been in the works for a few years, and each day construction crews are hard at work framing the interior of the terminal, as well as working on the outside areas to hopefully have the project complete this fall.
Cloutier says these improvements will not only help Concord, but the whole region.
“For every dollar spent on airport improvement is a $20 input back to the community,” said Cloutier. "And each flight we bring in here increases economic impact to the region to the restaurants, to the hotels, all those types of things and will just help our economy.”
Airport officials say they hope to have the new terminal and parking deck completed by September.
They are currently in discussion with four different airlines about bringing new destinations to the terminal.