Pensacola International Airport
Security Checkpoint Construction to Start Within Months
Matt Coughlin says the designs are done, parking is expanding and the TSA has paused the program letting visitors escort passengers to the gates.
Pensacola International Airport has reached 100% design on both its new five-gate concourse and its security checkpoint, and construction on the checkpoint should begin in the next couple of months, Airport Director Matt Coughlin told reporters at the city’s weekly press conference.
Coughlin said the airport has reached a guaranteed maximum price with its construction manager at risk for the checkpoint. The full modernization will deliver a five-gate concourse, a new security checkpoint and a new baggage handling system.
Checkpoint Construction
Coughlin said the airport plans to keep the five existing security lanes open and staffed through the TSA while crews work on the far end of the checkpoint. The tricky part will be the switchover to the new checkpoint, which he said must happen “literally over a week” while the airport continues to screen 4,000 to 6,000 people a day.
Where the money is coming from. Coughlin said funding for airport projects over the last few years tops $400 million:
- $85 million in current grants from agencies including the FAA, FDOT, DOJ, FDEP and DOT
- $110 million from the bond market
- $210 million tied to the build-out of the MRO campus
Parking and Holiday Travel
The airport has increased its campus parking capacity by 25% over the last several years, an investment of about $8 million. A new lot just north of the long-term lot on Tippin Avenue has reached 100% design. The current lot holds 434 spaces, and the expansion will add 600 more, bringing the airport to roughly 4,600 spaces.
About 60 % of passengers drive to the airport, Coughlin said. For the holidays, he urged travelers to check the airport’s website, which shows real-time inventory for each parking lot and gives a Google map route to the lot entrance.
Construction Around the Airfield
- New concourse ramp: A roughly $6 million ramp is under construction to serve aircraft at the new concourse, following demolition of older ramps.
- Runway rehabilitation: The east-west runway, one of two 7,000-foot runways, has been rehabilitated over the past year in a $20 million project with FAA support. Coughlin said the airport has received few noise complaints.
- Stormwater project: A system carrying stormwater under an active runway to a facility on the airport’s southwest side is expected to be finished in December.
- Third hangar: I asked whether the third hangar is in use yet. Coughlin said it is not, but the building is ready, and crews are finishing the ramp. A ribbon-cutting is set for Jan. 25.
TSA Pauses Gate Escort Program
The program that let visitors accompany passengers to the gates is on hold. Coughlin said the TSA curtailed it suddenly after it ran only a couple of weeks. The airport had opted into the national initiative, which allowed up to 50 escorts a day who signed up through the TSA.
“It’s not going well, to be honest.” —Coughlin, on the escort program
- He does not know why the TSA paused the program, which he said is under review as part of a broader look across airports. He expects it to restart and said the airport wants to resume it once the TSA signs off.
Still No Las Vegas Flight
I also asked about direct service to Las Vegas. Coughlin said the airport is still working on it, but fuel prices are hurting all airlines’ transcontinental routes. Some carriers have told the airport they will not consider such flights until prices stabilize.
- “I’m working hard for you, Rick,” Coughlin said. He added that he hopes to be on one of the flights when it happens.