RDU planning billions in upgrades with the passenger in mind
In a special meeting Friday of the RDU Airport Authority Board, the focus was on the need for more space – and fast. The Vision 2040 plan is the long-range roadmap for the airport, based on passenger volume and anticipated demand.
"We need to go into construction in 2025, because in a couple places where the building functions, we're out of space for folks," said Bill Sandifer, RDU chief development officer.
On the drawing board: Improvements to Terminal 2, including changes to the ticket counters, where some airlines are sharing space.
Sandifer told WRAL News that the airport also wants more space for more international flights.
"The facilities today are undersized, and we're going to fix that in the next five years," he said.
The construction comes at a cost. Two thousand parking spots will be lost, but Park Economy 3 will expand, adding 8,000 new spaces.
"We're moving fast, as fast as we can, with our Park Economy 3 expansion program to get that space needed for the customer, because we're going to lose it next to Terminal 2," Sandifer said.
Next up is a complete transformation for the smaller Terminal 1.
"It's going to be used by us to accommodate more flights and more services while we move our main runway, because we can't expand gates at Terminal 2 without moving it," Sandifer explained.
The total cost of the 10-year capital project planned comes to $2.2 billion dollars. Almost half funds the terminal projects, and about a third is for airfield projects. The board will begin budget discussions next month before their fiscal year begins in April.
