In June, the Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in Wichita, Kan., opened a new 275,000-sf, 12-gate terminal. According to an airport press release, the new facility “expresses …Wichita’s globally prominent position in Aviation as the Air Capital of the World.” The $200 million-plus terminal (which includes a new consolidated rental car facility) can handle two million passengers annually. It was designed (by HTNB) to support future growth up to 2.4 million.
Passenger traffic at the airport (formerly known as Wichita Mid-Continent Airport) was about 1.5 million in 2014, up 6% from the previous year. As of mid-2015, it is running about even with last year, says Victor White, Wichita Airport Authority’s Director of Airports.
Regional airports like Eisenhower National—which offers flights to and from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Phoenix—are doing everything they can to hold onto business. But small-to-midsize airports are still battling for their lives, as big carriers are cut or eliminate service to non-hub cities.
A 2013 report from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s International Center for Air Transportation found that small- and medium-sized airports ”have been disproportionally affected by reductions in service,” with medium-sized airports having felt “the biggest brunt” of airline network strategies.
This report predicts that smaller airports close to major hubs could be at risk of losing all of their carrier service by 2018. That’s bad news for local municipalities that see their airports as economic engines.
San Luis Obispo County (Calif.) Regional Airport is a case in point. In 2008 Delta ceased service to Salt Lake City, U.S. Air discontinued flights to Las Vegas, and American Airlines pulled out of the airport altogether. About 60% of travelers in this region now fly out of Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area, according to The Tribune, a newspaper that covers this market.
County officials believe San Luis Obispo’s prosperity hinges on its airport’s growth. Despite ongoing discussions with several carriers, the airport has had trouble finding airlines willing to provide service to Dallas, Salt Lake, or Denver.
White says that over the past decade, Wichita’s airport has managed to grow through aggressive marketing and airline recruitment. Four of the nation’s largest carriers—American, Delta, United, and Southwest—all fly out of Eisenhower, as does Allegiant Air, which caters to leisure travelers.
Wichita’s airport was also one of the first to offer incentives to carriers in the form of guaranteeing revenue and other subsidies, a practice that is now common among small and medium size airports. “Southwest Airlines wouldn’t have come here if we hadn’t provided guarantees and subsidies,” White says.
Rent income from airlines is one of the revenue streams that Wichita tapped to pay for its new terminal, along with user fees, commissions on retail sales, and a $4.50 per passenger facility fee. It also received a $60 million FAA grant, and another $7 million from TSA, says White.
The MIT report noted that while airlines have been grounding their older, smaller turbo planes and moving to larger jets with more seats, they still aren’t offering small and midsize airports enough flights to match demand.
At Eisenhower, White says that carriers are mostly flying Airbus or Boeing jets. But, he’s quick to add, demand continues to outpace availability. “The biggest complaint that passengers have is that flights are too full and it is hard to find a seat at the time and price they want to fly.”
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Jan 3, 2024
Top 200 Reconstruction Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, Stantec, HDR, Corgan, and PBK Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest building reconstruction/renovation architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Designers | Jan 3, 2024
Designing better built environments for a neurodiverse world
For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.
Giants 400 | Jan 2, 2024
Top 120 Hotel Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, WATG, HKS, DLR Group, and HBG Design top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest hotel and resort architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Resiliency | Jan 2, 2024
Americans are migrating from areas of high flood risk
Americans are abandoning areas of high flood risk in significant numbers, according to research by the First Street Foundation. Climate Abandonment Areas account for more than 818,000 Census Blocks and lost a total of 3.2 million-plus residents due to flooding from 2000 to 2020, the study found.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 2, 2024
New York City will slash regulations on housing projects
New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to cut red tape to make it easier and less costly to build housing projects in the city. Adams would exempt projects with fewer than 175 units in low-density residential areas and those with fewer than 250 units in commercial, manufacturing, and medium- and high-density residential areas from environmental review.
Contractors | Dec 22, 2023
DBIA releases two free DEI resources for AEC firms
The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) has released two new resources offering guidance and provisions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on design-build projects.
MFPRO+ News | Dec 22, 2023
Document offers guidance on heat pump deployment for multifamily housing
ICAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology) has released a resource guide to help multifamily owners and managers, policymakers, utilities, energy efficiency program implementers, and others advance the deployment of VHE heat pump HVAC and water heaters in multifamily housing.
Sustainability | Dec 22, 2023
WSP unveils scenario-planning online game
WSP has released a scenario-planning online game to help organizations achieve sustainable development goals while expanding awareness about climate change.
Giants 400 | Dec 20, 2023
Top 160 Apartment and Condominium Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, Humphreys and Partners, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, and AO top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest apartment building and condominium architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Dec 20, 2023
Top 90 Student Housing Architecture Firms for 2023
Niles Bolton Associates, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, BKV Group, and Humphreys and Partners Architects top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest student housing facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.