Tampa International Airport awarded $40 million in FAA funding for Airside D

The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help pay for elements of Tampa International Airport’s new Airside, which will break ground later this year.

Tampa International Airport will receive $40 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to help fund construction of Airside D.

The award is part of the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which Congress passed in 2021 to help update America’s transportation network, among other legislative priorities. TPA’s award is part of $970 million announced for projects at 125 airports around the United States.

TPA requested the money to put toward building Airside D’s boarding bridges and the guideway for the shuttle between the Airside and the Main Terminal.

Airside D is a state-of-the-art, 16-gate Airside terminal that will serve as TPA’s International Arrivals and Departures facility, in addition to accommodating domestic flights. It will be the first new Airside at TPA in nearly 20 years.

“We’re immensely thankful for the support and partnerships of our government partners and the FAA in helping to fund Tampa International Airport’s first new airside terminal in nearly 20 years,” TPA CEO Joe Lopano said. “Airside D will be critical in accommodating the tourism, population and business growth we’re experiencing in the Tampa Bay region and beyond, and we’re looking forward to breaking ground on this project later this year.”

Airside D has a preliminary cost estimate of $1.5 billion and is scheduled to open to the public in 2028. The Airside will help TPA, which currently serves an estimated 25 million passengers annually, accommodate the region’s growth and serve up to 35 million annual passengers by 2037.

Groundbreaking for Airside D, which is currently in the design phase, is slated for December.

TPA last month received $5 million in infrastructure grants from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), a separate program to help fund airport projects like runways, taxiways, lighting, signage and more. Tampa Executive Airport also received a $2.45 million AIP grant plus another $813,000 in BIL funding this summer for a runway and ramp rehabilitation project.

For more information about Airside D, please visit AscendTPA.com.