Miles SmithMcGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville has announced a 10-year, $700 million expansion and renovation initiative, dubbed Flight Plan, aimed at accommodating the region’s growth and increasing passenger demand. In a ceremonial event last week, airport leaders also broke ground on the first phase of the plan, a $186 million project to expand its parking garage and improve its terminal roadways.
The Parking Garage Expansion and Terminal Roadway Improvement Project calls for the addition of 3,500 parking spaces to its six-story garage and is targeting 2027 for completion. Other major components of the plan aim to prepare for future growth by addressing critical infrastructure needs. This will include expanding gates, concessions, concourse seating, security checkpoints, and ticketing areas as well as upgrading escalators and restrooms.
The planned improvements are intended to improve the passenger experience and attract more air service to East Tennessee.
“The current terminal was built to accommodate about 2.6 million passengers annually. Projections now indicate more than 3.5 million passengers will travel through TYS by 2027,” Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority President Patrick Wilson said. “Because of this record-breaking growth, we developed a forward-looking plan that strengthens our capacity and amenities while ensuring McGhee Tyson remains the convenient, community airport passengers know and love.”
Wilson said projects would be completed in a manner that caused minimal impact to passengers and the community during construction. .
Photo courtesy Oyoyoy
