CLEVELAND, Ohio — The timing isn’t perfect – proposing a new airport terminal after a historic drop in air travel.
But Cleveland Hopkins International Airport officials are gearing up to unveil a plan for a nearly-new terminal to be constructed in phases in the years ahead.
The preferred terminal design – not yet finalized – is likely to include rebuilt, wider concourses; an expanded ticketing area; a relocated rental car facility; centralized Transportation Security Administration screening; a new, centrally-located Customs facility; redesigned entry roadways and more.
The proposal is the result of a master plan process that got underway in late 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the airline industry.
It is likely to cost in excess of $1 billion.
Much of that cost is expected to be absorbed by the airlines doing business in Cleveland. Once a plan is finalized, the city will negotiate with the carriers to help pay for it.
It’s unclear how the airlines will react. They have been supportive of the process thus far. But the carriers are facing massive financial losses because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Carriers in Cleveland already pay some of the highest fees in the nation to operate at the airport. (See related story: Airlines facing huge COVID-related cost increases at Cleveland Hopkins airport)
“The financing of this is going to be a difficult lift in a post-COVID environment,” said Airport Director Robert Kennedy, speaking to Cleveland City Council’s Finance Committee on Tuesday.
Any new terminal won’t be built all at once, but in a series of phases triggered by increasing passenger numbers. Initial construction likely wouldn’t start for several years.
In 2019, more than 10 million passengers traveled through Cleveland Hopkins, the highest number in more than a decade. That number plummeted to 4.1 million in 2020, and is expected to increase this year to 5.2 million, according to airport estimates.
Unlike when Cleveland was a hub for United Airlines, when a majority of passengers were simply passing through the airport, most travelers today start or end their trips in Cleveland. The increasing number of local travelers has led to parking shortages and overcrowding in numerous areas in and around the airport.
Read more:
Three terminal expansion options considered for Cleveland Hopkins, part of airport master-plan process
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