Chattanooga Airport Has Multiple Construction Projects To Keep Up With Record Growth
From Chattanoogan
The Chattanooga Airport is thriving. March 2026 set a record for enplanements that were six percent over March last year, deplanements were up six percent and cargo was up by four percent. Overall operations were up 48 percent in the month, said April Cameron, president and CEO of the airport.
And the month of April has also seen significant growth. An increase in seat capacity has been made with two daily United Airlines flights to Houston that began on March 30. Those flights have averaged 70-75 percent of capacity. Near the end of May, United will also start Saturday flights to Denver. The goal now is to fill all the available seats.
To keep up with the demand now and into the future, the airport is in the process of construction and design of new projects that were approved by the board of directors on Monday. Allen & Hoshall will be providing the engineering and architectural services for three large projects. Those include Phase II of the terminal expansion. Planning ahead is being done for two new gates, 9 and 10, to accommodate the projected increase in passengers. This expansion will add 18,000 square feet of new space and there will be 4,500 square feet of additional office space beneath the new gate area.
An extension of Taxiway A South was approved by the board, which will connect to 30 acres that the airport will be able to develop over time. And a third project being engineered by Allen & Hoshall is the replacement of the north terminal apron, which has been patched extensively in the past. The asphalt portion of the apron will be replaced with concrete. This large project will use16,000 square yards of concrete.
Fire protection is being improved with a new fire maintenance company. The new provider is International Fire Maintenance based out of Harrison, Tn. All equipment currently in use will be replaced including the fire alarm control panel that is the hub of the airport’s fire detection system. The new panel will be monitored 24-7 from the airport as well as from the Harrison office.
Another maintenance issue being addressed is removing rubber from the runway that is left from landings. And painting the center lines and marking the concrete islands will also be done. This work to the runway has been planned and is included in the budget.
The Wilson Air Center, the award-winning, full service Fixed Base Operator for private aviation has been at the Chattanooga Airport since 2011. At the board meeting, unanimous approval was given for a contract extension of an additional five-year lease with two five-year renewals. The Chattanooga location of Wilson Air was recognized as the number one FBO in 2020 and 2021 and was named number six this year.
Updates to other activity at the airport include that the columns are up in the new parking deck that is under construction and pouring concrete for the floors has begun. The much-needed parking deck completion date is for early 2027.
A T-box hangar complex for storage of small private planes is under construction and should be finished in late fall and early winter. Rehabilitation of the apron at the south terminal is scheduled to be complete in November. And terrazzo flooring in the baggage area should be complete by the end of the fiscal year. Blue Cross Blue Shield is in the design stage for an airport overlook.
