Gates H15, H16 next to board: MSP Terminal 2 announces $20M grant for new gates

Two new gates are coming to Terminal 2 of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith announced Thursday.

With help from a $20 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals program, two gates — H15 and H16 — will be added to the terminal’s north side, according to a news release from the Democratic senators.

Funding for the grant comes from President Joe Biden’s 2021 bipartisan infrastructure legislation, which Klobuchar and Smith helped pass.

The added gates will augment existing gates H13 and H14 and increase the airport’s ability to support additional airline flights, according to Jeff Lea, communications manager for the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which owns and operates MSP.

Construction on the $240 million project is scheduled to begin midyear and be completed in 2026, Lea said, adding that there should be few disruptions as the expansion will take place beyond the current facilities to the north. Airlines at Terminal 2 — also known as the Humphrey Terminal — include Allegiant, Condor, Frontier, Icelandair, JetBlue, Southwest and Sun Country. The terminal opened in 2001, replacing an original facility serving charter flights.

“Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is among the busiest airports in the country and supports tens of thousands of jobs,” Klobuchar said in the announcement.

“This funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law will enable the airport to continue serving the Twin Cities area, improve the travel experience for passengers, and maintain its position as a top-ranking airport,” Klobuchar said.

Renovation work also is underway at Terminal 1. The Metropolitan Airports Commission announced in November that Terminal 1 — also known as the Lindbergh Terminal — is undergoing its largest interior renovation project for gates and concourses since the facility opened in 1962.

The FAA’s Airport Terminals program, which funds safe, sustainable and accessible terminals, received $5 billion from the infrastructure legislation.

“MSP is a critical transportation hub and economic driver for communities across Minnesota,” Smith said in the announcement. “This investment will make sure MSP remains one of the best airports in the world and has the capacity to meet demand.”

Nearly 35 million passengers flew out of MSP in 2023, the MAC reported, up 11 percent compared with 2022. International travel accounted for 2.98 million passengers, a 47 percent increase compared with 2022.

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