The two-level space would add more waiting room for passengers, and three additional gates.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio International Airport is planned to complete its new ground loading facility this year, a crucial upgrade to airport amenities.
The construction site is right next to Terminal A. The two-level space would add more waiting room for passengers, and three additional gates. Instead of going through a traditional jet bridge to get on their flights, passengers will be walking on the tarmac to the plane.
“We needed to have this, the three additional gates on the ground load to be able to provide the service and the space to the airlines to operate and continue to provide service to our airport and our passengers,” said Sam Rodriguez, Chief Development Officer for Capital Improvement Projects. “It’s a small element and project to a much bigger transformation that’s happening here at the airport with regards to the terminal and the passenger experience that we’re looking to elevate for our city and for the region as well.”
It was supposed to open by March, now the project is set to complete late 2025.
“Certainly we want to build the right facility, and going through the process, the bidding process, the contracting process and the negotiations is something that we must go through,” Rodriguez said. “It took longer than anticipated.”
The ground loading facility will add new restaurants, and will be a preview of the new terminal to come. Rodriguez explains it’ll also be important when they renovate Terminal A in the future.
“This will give us also the flexibility for many years to come to be able to accommodate the improvements that we’re going to be doing in the existing terminals, to be able to shut down some of those gates, and still have the space to be able to allow the airlines to operate at our airport,” Rodriguez said.