el paso airport's improvement plan coming in at $103 million

Seeing an increase of over 120,000 passengers in 2017, the El Paso International Airport, after several years of flat numbers, is enjoying a new era of growth, partly sparked by the addition of nine new regularly scheduled flights.

In a move to both accommodate that growth as well as keep the facility on some 7,000 acres, up to date, airport officials have been touting the importance of a 5-year capital improvement plan.

That $103 million plan, which has been given a green light by the El Paso City Council, includes the construction of a new rental car agency administration building, an updated baggage claim area, the realignment of Taxiway V, and the expansion of a fixed-base operator ramp.

Additional projects under the plan include improved landscaping and the installation of park monuments.

Located at 6701 Convair Road, the El Paso International Airport is the largest commercial airport in west Texas. It served just under 3 million passengers in 2017, a number that is expected to increase this year with the airport’s plans to inaugurate a new American Airlines flight direct to Chicago.

Funding for the $103 million project is partly being made up of $31 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants; $34 million in passenger facility fees; $13 million from the airport’s own enterprise funds; and $7 million through the federal Transportation Administration.

By Garry Boulard