What to expect from new John Glenn airport terminal

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Last year, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) announced a massive renovation project: a new $2 billion airport for Columbus, aiming to be completed by early 2029.

Now, we’re getting a better idea of what to expect in the new airport, who will pay for it, and whether it will help Columbus take off.

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“You need the business demand to get the airport and you need the airport to generate the business demand,” said Eric Stavriotis, vice chairman for Advisor and Transaction Services for Location Incentives at CBRE, a commercial real estate and advisory firm.

From Old Port Columbus to now John Glenn International, the current terminal opened in 1958, prompting the demand to modernize.

The new terminal will be built on the ground where the blue parking lots and the cell phone lot are located. Plans call for the terminal to grow by seven gates to 36. The design will use one centralized security checkpoint instead of the three in the current airport.

“By bringing the passengers under one security checkpoint, we’re creating a new efficiency and allowing access to more amenities, more concessions for all the passengers,” said Kristen Easterday, public affairs director for CRAA.

Those changes could prompt major growth; the authority estimates their annual passenger traffic could increase from 8.5 million to more than 13 million. It could also prompt additional direct flights to and from Columbus.

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“The decisions for new flights is decided upon by the airlines and we’re there to help bridge the gap, to help them analyze the market,” said Betsy Taylor with CRAA’s passenger airline business development.

“It’s not just build an airport and they will come,” said Didi Caldwell, president and CEO of Global Location Strategies. “You also have to work with the airlines to ensure that there is going to be enough traffic to make that worth their investment.”

As for who will pay for the new terminal, no new taxpayer dollars will be used. Instead, over $1.5 billion will be repaid through bonds and revenue generated at the airport. In addition, there is about $240 million from the airport authority that will be used for the project.

The design phase of the project is about 60% finished, with construction expected to begin early next year.

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“This is a means to an end, but it also reinforces this idea that we need to continue to grow and to do things that are attractive to business and talent if we’re going to continue on this path,” said Kenny McDonald, president and CEO of The Columbus Partnership.

There will be growing pains over the next few years, including parking. The airport is adding to its red and green lots to make space, and a part of the eventual plan is a 5,000-spot parking garage.

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