Knoxville's airport plans for 'more flights, more destinations' with 6 new gates

McGhee Tyson Airport plans to add six new gates by 2028, a 50% increase as the airport projects a record-breaking 2.7 million passengers in 2023.

The passenger increase will test the limits of the current terminal, which was completed in 2000 and was built to serve up to 2.6 million passengers yearly, according to Patrick Wilson, president of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority.

Over the next five years, the airport expects to far exceed its prepandemic numbers and to expand its offerings.

“We’re expecting to continue to see more flights, more destinations, and we’re also seeing the size of the aircraft increase,” Wilson told Knox News.

Why the Knoxville airport is adding more gates

The airport is at capacity, both from a passenger and an airplane size standpoint.

Wilson said those capacity issues became apparent in 2019, one year after Allegiant Air made McGhee Tyson an operating base and stationed two Airbus planes there. It was a record year, with 2.57 million passengers.

The gate expansion enters its planning phase at the same time the airport announced more surface parking and a new $180 million parking garage, expected in 2026.

Delta, which offers flights to Atlanta, Detroit and New York City, uses Boeing 737 jets with 180 seats for some of its flights. That's a far larger plane than the regional jets the terminal was built to accommodate.

The airport currently offers nonstop flights to 26 destinations from five airlines, several of which offer low-priced tickets.

Increased aircraft size means the current terminal is a tight squeeze for some planes, and flight volume can leave planes sitting on the runway waiting to unload passengers.

To make the best use of the airport's 12 current gates and to bridge the gap until 2028, Wilson said the airport would transition away from a system where certain gates are leased to airlines, which can leave passengers sitting on the tarmac even when gates are available.

Instead, airlines can deboard at any available gates and pay a per-use fee.

Brian Simmons, chairman of the airport's board of commissioners, said the new parking and gate expansion would make the airport as convenient as possible for passengers without limiting the services it provides.

“We’re fortunate to be butting up against the capacity, but we are not turning away airline services, we’re not turning away airlines," Simmons said. "We can accommodate them right now, but we know in the future we need to do this. We feel like our timing is good and we have a healthy sense of urgency here."

According to Wilson, the airport is always trying to attract new carriers like Southwest and new services from its current carriers, though these decisions are up to airlines.

How will McGhee Tyson pay for the gate expansion?

The unknown price tag on the gate additions will be funded by federal grants, state grants and bonds, the same funding methods that supported the current terminal building, Wilson said.

Some of this money is likely to come from the Federal Aviation Administration through its Airport Improvement Program, which provides more than $3 billion in grants to public-use airports.

In addition to grants from the FAA and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, which helped cover a $134 million runway reconstruction completed in 2021, the airport will enter into debt that will be paid back from airline revenues and ticket fees.

The proportion of funding sources for the gate expansion project is still unknown.

Often, FAA grants allow airports to make small changes.

On July 20, the FAA announced its latest slate of grants, which include $3.1 million for McGhee Tyson to install new lights on its runways. Another recent FAA grant for $2 million will allow the airport to acquire zero emissions shuttles and charging stations to support its sustainability efforts.

How can taxpayers provide feedback on the expanded terminal plans?

All kinds of public feedback, from Facebook comments to emails from passengers, are used in the airport's planning, according to Becky Huckaby, vice president for public relations.

But the fliers can give direct feedback on the terminal expansion in an online survey that will be posted to the airport's website as early as next week.

“One of the questions on there, is ‘what kinds of amenities do you miss in the terminal?’” Huckaby said.

By enlisting users to imagine what the new terminal could look like, McGhee Tyson hopes to better pursue its mission statement "to connect East Tennessee’s people and businesses with the World."

Daniel Dassow is a reporting intern focusing on trending and business news. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: McGhee Tyson Airport will add gates as Knoxville passengers increase