New $67M Missoula Air Terminal Opening Pushed to June

May 4—Deadlines on construction projects have been wildly fluid during the pandemic, and the new $67 million Missoula Montana Airport terminal expansion project fared no differently.

The airport announced this week that the new terminal building, originally scheduled to open to passenger and airline use on May 4, will now instead open on June 8.

"It was especially challenging building this facility during the pandemic," said airport director Brian Ellestad. He gave Gov. Greg Gianforte a tour of the new facility on Wednesday.

Ellestad said his staff worked hard to navigate multiple supply chain disruptions while still completing the project under budget and in time for the busy summer season.

"Overall construction has been completed, and we will be utilizing this additional month before our grand opening to train our tenants and staff on the new, state-of-the-art equipment that has been installed in the facility," Ellestad said. "This training and testing of new equipment will allow us to provide a completely seamless transition for our passengers as we move into the new terminal in June."

Construction began on the new three-story, 175,000-square-foot facility in 2018. It's being paid for by a $31 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, user fees from airlines and other sources, including a federal low-emissions grant.

Once the new terminal is open, the airport's terminal expansion project will continue with Phase 2, which is the east concourse extension. That means the current older terminal will be razed to make way for construction of additional aircraft gates, restrooms, an expanded baggage claim and a rental car center. That project could start this fall and may be completed in the summer of 2025 depending on funding availability.

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