June 17, 2024

A plan to add at least five gates to the Sioux Falls Regional Airport is inching closer to reality.

“We’re on the last leg of design for the project as far as what it’s going to look like,” executive director Dan Letellier said. “Nothing’s going to happen if we don’t have a design, so we have a design ready.”

The airport also is moving ahead with identifying which contractor would serve as construction manager at risk on the project, in addition to working with the Federal Aviation Administration to approve the process, he said.

Getting a construction manager at risk on board will “help with final design and maybe provide some construction thoughts on what may provide some savings,” Letellier said. “We’re hopeful to maybe do some work next summer, but that will really depend on some of the federal programs that will be later this year or this fall before they make any announcements on providing some funding.”

The current design calls for a net gain of five gates with the option to add a sixth if budget allows.

“The core project would provide basically a hallway and those five gates and a set of restrooms, so very bare bones minimally, but it would get us the five gates,” Letellier said.

If the bid came in favorably enough and there was enough funding available, the project could expand to add “a big open atrium area with a lot of additional seating and additional food, beverage and retail options to go along with that,” he said.

If an additional gate could be added, it also would have the option of accommodating an international flight, with an area finished “for federal inspection to fully process international flights,” Letellier said. “That’s the goal, but obviously there’s a lot in between to make that happen.”

Letellier said he believes the airport will receive “some federal funding” and use revenue bonds to cover the base cost. There are multiple federal grants and programs that are open to tap, he said, in addition to applying for some congressionally designated spending.

The plan also is to continue working with the South Dakota Legislature, which appropriated $10 million for terminal needs statewide this year, “which is $10 million more than the state has ever provided before,” he said. “So we’ll take another run at it.”

In the meantime, the airport is on pace for another record year, with passenger traffic up 3 percent through April versus last year’s record travel. There are slightly more seats available to book this summer versus last, Letellier said.

The airport’s new parking ramp and skywalk are “getting closer every day,” he added. “The garage itself can possibly open mid-September.”

It’s also possible that some additional long-term surface parking will reopen in the next month as construction starts to wind down.

That’s the only major construction planned at the airport this season.

Construction of the concourse expansion and adjacent terminal apron is expected to take 18 to 24 months, he said. It’s needed both to accommodate the airport’s growth and remain competitive for flight expansions.

“It’s a challenge right now to grow very much without any additional gates,” he said. “So our next focus is trying to come up with more capacity.”