Plans are in place for a major upgrade that will add some shine to both the M.J. Kennedy Air Terminal, and Salina’s scheduled air service.

The $8.835 million expansion and major remodel, includes a second loading gate at 3237 Arnold Avenue, new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening, a passenger hold room, baggage claim area, a fire suppression sprinkler system, and some aviation bling.

Construction begins this fall on the first phase, said Pieter Miller, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority.

“It’s going to be first class, very nice,” he said.

A second phase includes lobby improvements, new plumbing and restrooms, pickup and drop-off lanes and a new canopy. The SAA has applied for an additional $2.5 million grant, but leaders won’t know until early 2025 whether the terminal will receive the additional money.

Plans also include “dedicated spaces through the terminal for public art,” Miller said.

Built in 1956, the building originally housed administrative offices for Schilling Air Force Base, and was transformed into the terminal building in 1965 after the base closed.

“It’s been so long since that terminal had a facelift. It needs curb appeal,” said Gary Foss, managing partner of the ArkStar Group. He has served as Salina’s air service development consultant since 2017.

The project is “long overdue,” Foss said. “This allows Salina to be competitive and to be brought in line with the premier United service airports — an attractive facility with beautiful glass, to go with the attractive service. It will make people want to use it.”

The second gate, in the short-term, provides “operational flexibility to stay on time should you have a maintenance issue, and expansion in the longterm,” he said.

Salina has much to boast already. Other than the COVID year, 2020, annual passenger numbers posted major growth, ranging from nearly 16,000 to more than 21,000 boardings over a seven-year span.

And the service is impeccable, said David Bush, a local military veteran with special needs, who has flown out of Salina six times. “Everybody’s really nice to me,” he said.

Subsidies from Essential Air Service, a federal program to help small United States communities maintain commercial air service, helped Salina Regional Airport have access to hubs in Chicago, Denver, and possibly others.

Free airport parking is among the popular features, and the capacity for vehicles has since mushroomed with the passenger demand.

The “Fly Salina” jingle is commonplace to many these days. Brandon Ebert, founder and financial advisor at Be Wealth, 1041 S. Ohio, uses the service “as much as I can.”

The convenience of driving across town to board a plane beats having to drive to Wichita or Kansas City, he said, considering those long drives home after returning.

One of the first times I had to go see some clients in Denver, I flew out in the morning, met with them, and returned home in the evening. That’s very valuable for me,” Ebert said. “The flexibility to travel anywhere is nice, to go to Denver and go west and Chicago and go east, and someday south. Even if you get home at 10 or 11 at night, you drive seven miles home, rather than 90 minutes from Wichita or two hours, 30 minutes from Kansas City.”

The terminal remodeling project definitely brightens the future, SAA’s Miller said.

“These improvements will help us meet passenger needs, flying in and out of Salina, as the airport grows,” he said. “Our facility is poised to match that growth.”

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Image: An artist’s rendering of the Salina Regional Airport terminal building expansion project showcases the modernized facility, designed to enhance traveler experience and accommodate growing traffic.