Salt Lake City to add US$740m second concourse

Salt Lake City International Airport has announced plans to build a US$740m concourse north of its existing terminal to accommodate a growth in passenger traffic and to replace its aging facilities.

The North Concourse will add 30 gates in two phases and is an addition to the South Concourse, which is currently under construction as part of the Salt Lake City Department of Airports’ (SLCDA) Terminal Redevelopment Program (TRP). The new concourse increased the value of TRP from US$1.8bn to US$2.6bn.

Salt Lake City Mayor Jacqueline Biskupski commented, “Aligned with our other resources, the airport is a key economic driver for our city and state. This addition is essential in building a state-of-the-art facility to help attract more business and tourism dollars, and completely in line with my plan for robust economic development. We are on track to making the entire experience more efficient and pleasant for everyone.”

The current airport facility serves more than 22 million passengers annually, which is more than double its design capacity. Passenger traffic at SLC is forecast to continue increasing in the coming years.

According to SLCDA executive director Maureen Riley, constructing the North Concourse today is the most efficient approach: “We’ve studied the alternatives to accommodate passenger growth at Salt Lake City International Airport. Building the North Concourse sooner rather than later is the best solution for the future.”

The North Concourse will replace existing gates now on Concourses B, C and D, which have facility deficiencies that would require costly renovations if retained. Renovations to these concourses would also disrupt airline operations and require multiple relocations by each airline to accommodate the necessary construction.

“Every step our airport takes in the redevelopment effort is an exciting one,” said city council chair James Rogers. “The end goal is an airport that better serves customers, and is an even bigger economic driver for growing the northwest quadrant of our city and all of the Utah economy.”

The first phase of the North Concourse construction will start on the west portion of the building and is scheduled to be completed in 2020, in conjunction with the opening of the South Concourse-West and the new terminal. A flexible gate layout is planned to serve a mix of aircraft sizes, though the concourse will primarily be used for narrow-body and small, wide-body aircraft. In the future, the North Concourse layout allows for an additional 15 gates to be added to the east for a total of 45 gates.

The North Concourse will provide modern operating facilities for all airlines, which will improve passenger service. A passenger tunnel will be constructed to connect the North Concourse to the South Concourse and the new terminal.