Three Terminal Expansion Options Considered for Cleveland Hopkins, Part of Airport Master-Plan Process

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Three different visions for a remodeled, expanded Cleveland Hopkins International Airport were unveiled Wednesday night, including one version with a completely new terminal.

There is no guarantee that any of the proposals will be built – that decision will come later — but airport officials and consultants made the case that the existing facility needs some major upgrades, including more ticketing and gate space, additional parking, more efficient and larger security and customs areas, better roadway access, and an on-site car rental facility.

The recommendations were outlined in an online public meeting that is part of the airport’s master plan process, a once-in-a-decade review of the airport’s infrastructure.

The three new terminal proposals include:

* A complete rebuild of the terminal on the existing site, with two parallel buildings connected via underground tunnel.

* A version that maintains the existing terminal footprint mostly intact, with an elongated concourse B, widened concourse C and reopened concourse D.

* A combination rebuild/renovation that would keep Concourse A but replace concourses B, C and D.

Over the next several months, officials will narrow the options to one “preferred alternative,” which will then be further studied and developed, along with financing options.

The prices of the three proposals were not discussed Wednesday, although the cost of building a new terminal would likely exceed $1 billion, absorbed primarily from the 10 airlines that operate at Cleveland Hopkins.

The idea of building a new terminal – even if it doesn’t happen for several years – might be tough for the carriers to stomach, as the coronavirus pandemic has decimated the airline industry. Delta Air Lines, for example, this week announced a $5.4 billion loss for the third quarter.

“It’s a difficult financing environment,” conceded Airport Director Robert Kennedy. “The air carriers have to stand behind the debt.”

Despite the pandemic-related drop in air traffic, Cleveland officials believe the time is right to plan for the future.

Passenger forecasts suggest that Cleveland Hopkins will return to 2019 air traffic levels, when 10 million travelers passed through the airport, by 2024, growing to 13.5 million by 2039.

Space constraints at the airport have become apparent in the years since Cleveland lost its United Airlines hub in 2014, and the number of local travelers flying in and out of the airport increased. Local travelers are more likely to use on-site parking, curbside drop-off and pick-up, Transportation Security Administration checkpoints and other services.

In addition to terminal improvements, Owen Curtis, with Curtis Transportation Consulting, addressed the need for improvements in accessing the airport, including the possible rerouting of Ohio 237 or a new elevated exit off I-71 at Snow Road to the airport.

Curtis also recommended better enforcement of curbside wait limits on the lower level of the terminal, where friends and family pick up arriving travelers. Chronic congestion in the area is not due to a lack of curb space, but a lack of enforcement of rules.

During peak times of the day, cars at the curb wait an average of 5 minutes – well above the national average of 3 minutes for similarly sized airports. “The problem is not how much curb there is but how efficiently it is managed and how well the public obeys,” he said.

For a video of the Wednesday meeting and to offer feedback: clevelandairportmasterplan.com.

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