Nov. 17—San Francisco International Airport is delaying planned construction on its Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and other projects because of reduced passenger traffic during the pandemic.
A new check-in lobby for the terminal was planned to be completed in April 2023. It has now been pushed back by at least six months, according to SFO public information officer Doug Yakel.
With less revenue coming into the airport, it makes sense to delay taking on large projects that add more debt that the airport must pay interest on, Yakel said.
"With revenues being down, we need to think about reducing the amount of debt service we're taking on," he said.
The airport will also delay part of a project to build more walkways between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 and to put in more office space for airport workers. The walkways are still scheduled for completion in October, but the interior office space will be delayed.
Yakel said 20 smaller projects to upgrade existing terminals and facilities will also see delays.
The airport will defer around $550 million in debt obligations through the delays. Yakel said some design and project planning work had been completed on a number of the smaller projects, but the main costs of construction would need to be put off for the time being.
Other projects have also been postponed due to the pandemic, including the $1 billion Terminal 3 West project. That plan would renovate the western half of the terminal where United Airlines operates and would include a seismic retrofit and architectural additions, as well as features for passengers.
Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
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