Where does the $400M renovation at Louisville's airport stand? Here's what to know

When Dan Mann came to the Louisville airport in early 2018, he had a major goal in mind — growing air service.

More flights. More destinations. More people passing through the airport.

The problem was the airport wasn’t well positioned for this growth.

“We were just kind of stuck in time,” said Mann, executive director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

First looking to improve how people moved through the airport with updated walkways and new escalators, Mann kept seeing aspects of the operation that needed modernization.

From unreliable aging jet bridges to boilers nearing their end of life to an outdated rental car hub, the to-do list for the airport’s overhaul grew.

Mann said he was on a mission to “fix the next most broken thing.”

“You have to have stuff that works, and that just set the whole $400 million SDF Next in motion,” he said.

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Announced in December 2019, the multi-year capital improvement project was slowed by the pandemic, which delayed bidding and snarled supply chains.

Still, three years into the effort, more than $120 million has gone toward a slew of improvements, including:

• A color-coded light system that helps flag open parking spots and added 30% more spaces to its "premier parking lot," formerly called the credit card lot.

• Refreshed interior and exterior signage

• Replaced 17 aging jet bridges that take passengers from the terminal to their planes

• Replaced 18 elevators, six escalators and two moving sidewalks at the airport

• Created a new rental car facility with renovated tunnels leading from the rental car area to the terminal

• Modernized the airport operations center, a behind-the-scenes improvement to the airport’s "nerve center" and communications hub that also included upgrades to the airport’s data and security systems.

• Added covered walkways between parking facilities and the terminal

And despite the pandemic, Louisville’s airport has grown, going from 21 nonstop flights in 2018 to 37 this year.

Passenger traffic, too, has rebounded and set the airport on course to top 2019, its busiest year ever.

The airport is now in the middle of the second phase of improvements, a $90 million effort focusing mainly on the baggage claim level and behind-the-scenes improvements to mechanical and electrical systems, including a massive $22 million geothermal project.

Here’s a look at the present and future of the airport transformation.

Baggage claim overhaul at Louisville's airport

Renovations at the airport’s baggage claim area are underway, giving both an aesthetic and logistical overhaul to the space.

Half of the space closed to customers the week after the 149th Kentucky Derby in May. Behind the temporary walls, workers have completely wiped the slate clean, removing old baggage carousels and seating.

Expect new seating, terrazzo flooring with nods to iconic Louisville imagery, rental car counters, and fresh lighting throughout.

There’ll be improved signage to help people figure out at which carousel their luggage will be and better luggage tracking to tell arriving passengers how long before their bags will appear there.

Renovated bathrooms on this floor were completed late last year, including fixtures that should reduce water use by at least 50%.

The flow of passenger luggage will also differ.

The airport currently feeds luggage into the carousel from behind the wall of the baggage claim area. Bags weave through the claim area before disappearing behind the wall and emerging for another go-around.

A new flow meant to increase security will keep the bags circulating in the public space.

The first half of the project should be complete in a couple months, after which the other side of the floor will be closed, renovated, and operational by Thanksgiving.

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A huge part of the current phase two is a nearly $22 million geothermal project — creating the largest geothermal system at any U.S. airport.

A system of 648 vertical wells drilled 500 feet deep will help the airport save $400,000 yearly in heating and cooling costs and will reduce carbon emissions by 80%.

“What we’re doing is we’re using the ground as a giant heat exchanger,” said Dave Mayer, partner with engineering firm CMTA, which is overseeing construction. “We’re transferring heat to and from the building into the ground.”

He said many aspects of the airport’s HVAC system are at least 30 years old.

“We’re in the process of upgrading all of those systems to provide a healthier, more comfortable environment for all passengers that pass through the airport,” he said.

Having the system underground also frees up above-ground space for use by planes and doesn’t get in the way of future terminal expansion.

“It’s so much cooler than concrete,” Mann said.

What other updates are happening at the Louisville airport?

Some of the biggest transformations at the airport are yet to come in phase three, an estimated $120 million-plus segment that is slated to wrap up by early 2027 and include an expanded security checkpoint, exterior aesthetic improvements, and a development intended to welcome international travel to Derby City.

Here's what to know about those updates:

Federal inspection station

As the airport makes small steps toward offering international services, Mann said adding a federal inspection station will allow for international flights to come to the Louisville airport.

This addition is still in the design stages and would help accommodate about 300 passengers traveling internationally. Think two flights a week to Cancun, Mexico, Mann said.

Short-term security changes

If you’ve flown lately, depending on when your flight is scheduled to depart the Louisville airport, you may have found yourself in a long security line stretching way past the queuing ropes.

Mann is well aware of the struggles some travelers face as they navigate long security lines at the Louisville airport.

About 40% of flights on a given day depart Louisville between 4:30 and 7:30 a.m., creating a major pressure point that ripples out through the airport, from parking to security to concessions.

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“With those morning pushes, with five lanes you can only push so many people through, something like 1,350 people with five lanes,” Mann said. “If you have 1700 scheduled to fly out in that hour … you’ve got a math problem.”

TSA is soon adding a sixth lane alongside existing lanes. A temporary “pop-up” seventh lane is also being set up in the area just before TSA agents typically check your identification.

These additional security lanes should be operational by late August, allowing for an additional 300-350 passenger screenings each hour ― about two airplanes, Mann said.

The Brooks Brothers and Kentucky Bourbon Trail shops just ahead of the security checkpoint will also soon be closing, making way for additional queuing. Dining options on the other side of the hall won’t be affected.

Mann noted discussions are ongoing with the airport’s retail and food vendors to explore new offerings past the security checkpoint, including possible "pop-up" experiences for travelers, such as a bourbon tasting.

New security checkpoint

While the airport has pursued shorter-term solutions to alleviate security checkpoint congestion, it’s also planning an expansion and overhaul of the entire checkpoint area.

Still in the design phase, the new security area would have room for up to 10 lanes, up from the current five, and add some 30,000 square feet of space by widening the existing security area.

The checkpoint security project is expected to be bid on early next year and completed by the end of 2025.

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Future improvements include a ticketing area refresh and aesthetic improvements to both upper and lower levels for arrivals and departures.

Think less concrete and more glass and metal to allow for more light in these spaces. Renderings show improved signage and a covered upper level for departures to guard drop-offs against bad weather.

These beautification projects will wrap up the SDF Next program, expected to end in mid-2026 to early 2027.

“I want people to come in here, and when they come through here, they know, wow, this is Louisville,” Mann said. “And I want people that are from here when they fly out to be proud of the airport, proud of what we’re doing.”

Growth & development reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Inside the $400M SDF Next transformation at Louisville’s airport