As much of the airport industry lagged in recent years because of the economic downturn and airline consolidation, Will Rogers World (OKC) has flourished, increasing passenger counts and regularly announcing new airlines and routes.
It’s been successful enough, in fact, that without additional space and reconfiguration of the existing terminal, OKC officials think they risk running out of gates and letting their customers down with a less-than-desirable experience.
So the airport has embarked on planning and preparations for a $70 million expansion that would address those needs with a new consolidated security checkpoint and a new concourse that will allow for the addition of up to six gates.
“What really we’re the benefactor of is an Oklahoma City economy and a community that has been flourishing for about the last 20 years or so,” says Mark Kranenburg, director of airports. “The whole idea behind this expansion is to address future capacity and growth at the airport.”
Security, Baggage Enhancements Important
The Oklahoma City Airport Trust, which owns the airport, was in the planning and design stage of the airport’s last major enhancement just before the Sept. 11 attacks changed the way airports function. They went forward with the project anyway and, although Kranenburg says the project significantly upgraded the function and aesthetics of the Central Terminal and a new west concourse built to replace two outdated pier concourses, it left the airport without any of the modern-era explosive-detection systems in place post-Sept. 11 at airports across the U.S.
“That was a space nightmare for us,” he says.
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