San Antonio International Airport (SAT) celebrated the groundbreaking of its newest $1.2 billion terminal on Tuesday.
The new terminal is being built to the northwest of Terminal B and will host up to 17 gates and add more than 850,000 square feet to the airport’s footprint.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the groundbreaking represented an important milestone on one of the most financially impactful projects the city has taken on in recent years.
“What I am most excited and have been most excited about the potential of this airport and what this program means, is that this will also elevate the aspirations of our entire city, to elevate the expectations of what we should have and what we should enjoy in our city,” he added.
City and airport leaders also presented new visual renderings of the terminal and shared some of the food concepts that will be in the new terminal during Tuesday’s press conference near the airport tarmac.
City Manager Erik Walsh highlighted some things the city wants to accomplish with the new terminal.
“One of our goals here is to be the most accessible airport in the country, whether you're traveling with a child, an elderly parent, a family friend with a need, we're going to make air travel out of this facility convenient and accessible to you,” he said.
Roman Rios, the project manager for general contractor Hensel Phelps, which will be leading construction on the terminal, made a commitment to SAT travelers about how construction would be handled.
“We understand we're in the airport, we're in their house, and we want to make sure every passenger doesn't even realize that we're building close to 1 million square feet of new terminal,” Roman Rios said. “Their bags arrive on time. They're not impacted by traffic. So that's our big focus, Jesus [Saenz], and that's our promise.”
Saenz has been San Antonio’s Director of Airports since 2020. He remarked on what the new terminal represents for San Antonio.
“The groundbreaking is more than just the start of a construction project,” Saenz said. “It's the beginning of a new chapter of our airport and our community.”
The new terminal is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
