APPLETON (NBC 26 — Appleton International Airport continues construction to expand one of their terminals.
- ATW plans to expand one of their terminals by March to make the airport experience better for travelers.
- The story describes the cost, timeline, and expected benefits of the construction project.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web.)
The terminal expansion at Appleton International Airport will more than double its size, expanding to ten gates in the terminal.
Additional amenities will include a sensory support room, a service animal relief area, additional ramps for widespread accessibility as well as a bier garden, bar and restaurant.
Solar panels are also expected to be added at a later date which would allow the airport to produce, store and use their own energy.
The project will cost about $66 million, funded through state, federal and regional grants as well as budgeted dollars.
But officials believe the price tag will be well worth it.
"I believe it's projects like this that is going to bring this airport within striking distance of a billion dollars of economic activity every year, supporting well over 3,000 jobs, making the Appleton International Airport the most important piece of economic real estate in northeast Wisconsin," said Outagamie County Executive Thomas Nelson.
The new gates are expected to be completed by March with the first flights expected in early April, just in time for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Airport officials say they'll be built with efficiency in mind to allow more flights and future destinations from Appleton.
"It lowers our operating cost. We don't have to add those additional gates, add the additional square footage," said ATW Airport Director Abe Weber.
"We're going to turn those lower operating costs right back over to our airline partners keeping our airport costs low to them and making ourselves more attractive to future airlines and future route development."
After the new gates are completed in March, part of the existing terminal will be torn down in order to connect the two, a project expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
