Gateway airport plans $1.4B terminal with 60 gates

The booming Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has unveiled a $1.4 billion plan for a new passenger terminal that could open as soon as 5 years from now and eventually expand to 60 gates. The airport is anticipating that rapid growth will continue with its focus on low-cost air travel, and that its continuously-expanding temporary terminal will soon reach capacity. Gateway served almost 1 million passengers last year and is on track to handle 1.3 million this year. Lynn Kusy, the airport’s executive director, said the projected need for such a massive terminal will likely surprise many people. “We know we’d have to build it someday, but we didn’t know that it would come this quickly,” Kusy told the Tribune. “The passenger growth has been amazing, astonishing.” The ambitious expansion plan seemed unthinkable just a few years ago. Gateway was unable to lure airlines after the former Williams Air Force Base closed in 1993. When Allegiant started a few routes in late 2007, the demand surprised airport officials and the airline itself. Gateway began the study in 2010 because the airport will reach capacity soon.

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