Pease airport's $9M upgrade aims to make it 'more viable option': Here's how it will look

PORTSMOUTH — Work is underway on Phase 2 of the terminal expansion and upgrades at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.

The upcoming improvements to the airport at Pease follow a $19.5 million Phase 1 terminal expansion project unveiled in early 2021.

The Phase 2 work — which is expected to cost more than $9 million — is focused on what will become the new 5,200-square-foot Pease Arrivals Hall, according to the Pease Development Authority’s Board of Directors and project documents.

“The expansion will improve our arrivals capacity, alleviating current congestion, increasing accessibility, and supporting future growth at the airport,” PDA officials stated. “This project will also include the replacement of our 65-year-old outdated electric services, add LED lighting throughout the terminal, and create more windows to maximize natural light, all of which combine to help make our airport become more energy efficient.”

Phase 2, which is being paid for in large part through a $7 million Federal Aviation Administration grant, will feature “a redesigned baggage claim area and the relocation of rental car counters, parking kiosks, and information and customer service booths.”

The goal of the project is to “improve the overall passenger experience, from the moment of arrival, whether you’re taking off or landing here,” according to the PDA.

2024 projected completion date

The Phase 2 work on the terminal expansion is being conducted by Hutter Construction Corporation of New Ipswich, according to Tom Ferrini, a member of the PDA’s Board of Directors.

The work is expected to be completed by summer 2024, Ferrini said.

The difference between the roughly $9 million projected cost of the project and the $7 million grant will be made up by PDA funds, he said.

Typically an FAA grant pays for about 80% of a project, Ferrini said, adding the FAA likes to make sure the local board “has some skin in the game.”

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Both phases of the terminal expansion and upgrade project at the Portsmouth airport are aimed at creating “more convenient commercial travel and more convenient military travel,” Ferrini said.

The airport will have that “once these infrastructure improvements are done,” he said.

Competitive airport markets

Portsmouth International Airport at Pease is competing with bigger regional airports, including Logan in Boston, Manchester and even Portland.

Ferrini believes Portsmouth has a “much better direct-to-the-flight experience for the consumer than the other airports. Parking is easier, travel is easier, leaving and returning is easier. It’s a niche market that has significant value.”

Allegiant Airlines is the only commercial carrier that flies full-time out of Portsmouth.

Asked if he was surprised Portsmouth hasn’t landed a second airline in recent years, especially with all the improvements, Ferrini said, “It’s the local economy that drives the second airline.”

He added that “airports and air carrriers are in a very competitive market.”

He pointed out that nationwide “we face labor shortages in the airline industry.”

Still, he said Portsmouth would “welcome” a second airline “if it works for both of us.”

But he stressed Portsmouth wants to “make sure we do a good job with the business we already have.”

“We want to make sure individuals who fly on Allegiant have a good experience and make sure we’re doing the best we can locally.”

Pease working toward a more 'viable' airport

Fellow PDA Board of Directors member Steve Fournier said the terminal expansion and improvements “just make Portsmouth airport a more viable option for people to fly out of, not only from the area but also around the state.

Bringing another airline to Portsmouth is “always a goal” of the PDA, he said.

“It’s either to make sure Allegiant can expand or try to find additional airlines,” Fournier said during an interview this week.

Fournier said he recently had friends fly into Portsmouth from Nashville, “and they said it was so easy to get in and out of. ... It’s great for quick weekend trips or quick business trips, it’s inexpensive and there’s no hassle getting through the terminal."

Parking fees at Portsmouth “are much less expensive” than other area airports, he said, “and it’s a lot easier for someone to drop you off in Portsmouth rather than driving to Boston, Manchester or Portland.”

The completed work on Phase 1 of the project includes 12,000 square feet of new first-floor space for passenger check-ins, an improved screening checkpoint and new concourse and concession space areas.

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Additional Phase 1 work included a new escalator, a second passenger boarding bridge and 12,000 square feet of new lower level space for baggage handling.

The board on Thursday morning also approved spending $77,200 for additional work by McFarland Johnson, Inc. the PDA’s engineering team on the project.

The monies are for work the company already did in helping to secure the FAA grant and creating three potential bid alternates that the PDA board did not end up moving forward with because of costs, according to a memo from Michael Mates, the PDA’s director of engineering.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth International Airport at Pease to get new Arrivals Hall