Mineta San Jose International (SJC) opened five temporary gates attached to the south end of Terminal B this month to help meet a near-term surge in passenger volume.
The Interim Gates Facility was conceived, designed and built in a compressed 18-month period after the airport determined the combined 30 gates in Terminals A and B would not meet flight and passenger growth projections.
“In the first quarter of 2018, SJC’s passenger traffic increased by 18.5. percent as compared to the same three-month period in the previous year,” John Aitken, SJC director of aviation, said at the opening. “The rapid growth in projected customers over 2018-2019 highlighted the need for an interim facility to meet the increased demand.”
Gates 31-35 were turned over to Southwest Airlines. A sixth gate, Gate 36, remains under construction and will open by Nov 1.
HMSHost-operated Island Brews will serve passengers at the new gates with grab and go salads, wraps, sandwiches, as well as coffee, and alcoholic beverages, while a Hudson kiosk will provide travel essentials and grab and go packaged snacks. Additional concessions will be available with the opening of Gate 36 later this year.
Construction partners Hensel Phelps and Fentress Architects ensured the rapid design and completion of the temporary facility, which is expected to remain operational for five-to-seven years. That should give the city of San Jose and airport officials time to plan the Phase 2 Expansion of Terminal B as a permanent solution, the airport says.
