Burlington, Vt.'s Patrick Leahy Intl. Airport is undergoing a $45 million expansion project, Project NexT, to upgrade facilities and accommodate larger aircraft. Funded federally and by the FAA, the 2-year project aims to enhance travel options, amenities, and market competitiveness for the growing airport.
The South Burlington Development Review Board in Vermont is getting its first pass at a plan for a massive expansion project at the region's Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (Leahy BTV).
Construction at the site for the project launched earlier in October, marking the beginning steps for the $45 million infrastructure project that is expected to take two years to complete, according to The Other Paper, a South Burlington newspaper, on Oct. 24.
The effort, known as Project NexT, will completely upgrade and replace the facility's current northern terminal with a net-zero energy, three-story building comparable in size to the current 30,000-sq. ft. building.
Leahy BTV officials said on the airport's website that the project has been a key part of their planning and development efforts for close to a decade.
The upgrades are expected to improve five passenger gates in the northern concourse with the capability of holding larger aircraft, more seating space for passengers, a third floor with relocated office space for airport staff and an outdoor patio for public use. Each of these and other interior and exterior improvements are geared to a changing market, The Other Paper reported.
"As Leahy BTV has adapted to new aviation technologies and traveler demands, Project NexT is the natural next step in the transformation of the airport," Leahy BTV noted on its online project page. "The terminal building will be transformed to become linear and interconnected to enhance operational efficiency and safety.
"For travelers, improved amenities will be offered, inclusive of new vendor space, gate areas and jet bridges. For airport partners, airline storage and baggage claim space will be re-designed to meet current equipment needs."
Nic Longo, the airport's director of aviation, said that expansion is needed at Leahy BTV Leahy as planes are getting both longer and wider, and the industry as a whole has dramatically changed. For instance, the airport's northern terminal, which was originally designed for aircraft with 50 passengers, is now seeing far bigger planes like Boeing 737s or Airbus 320s that can transport from 150 to 240 passengers on a single flight.
"Back in the 1990s and 2000s when this building was built, the design was meant for these smaller planes, because that's where the industry was headed," Longo told The Other Paper. "Well, now I'm talking about something completely different, and we're building something for an industry of today."
Apart from necessary upgrades, the entire project also is meant to be an aesthetic one, he said. From the use of mass timber to new seating rooms, Longo is most excited about the third-floor patio that, in part, pays homage to the airport's former observation tower.
"I really wanted to bring back the nostalgia and the community engagement with our old observation tower," he elaborated. "We get comments all the time like, ‘We wish we could go up there.' We're bringing that back, and we want members of the public to enjoy the unbelievable views."
To comply with development requirements in South Burlington, Longo said he and other airport officials are focusing the project's landscaping efforts on creating a large multi-use bicycle path that will connect to existing South Burlington bike and walking paths.
Leahy BTV's Growth Primarily Federally Funded
The project is funded largely through $34 million in congressionally directed spending secured by former U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, for whom the airport is named.
Another $8 million grant was secured through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and $1.8 million via the Northern Border Regional Commission, made up of several counties in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York, to support the timber construction.
Longo also said the airport has applied to the FAA for an additional $18 million in funding.
He hopes the expansion at Leahy BTV Leahy will continue to increase options for travelers and grow competitive ticket prices. The airport's newly introduced Frontier Airlines direct service to both Tampa and Orlando competes with an existing airline, Breeze, which also is going to those cities. Longo said that Florida is historically the most frequented destination at the airport.
"But that's really good and really healthy for our market," he said in speaking with The Other Paper. "That drives competition with airline ticket prices, and that's something that we want to sustainably grow and watch."
Passenger traffic also is on the rise. According to Longo, Leahy BTV is busier than ever with projections for 2024 expected to surpass nearly 700,000 — well above pre-pandemic numbers.
"My primary goal is to make sure there is competition and the options available to the public to get to more destinations, or even the same airline going to the same destination, to compete on ticket prices, to keep that relevant to the market," he said.
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