Kansas City leaders and airline officials huddled together, many with phones and cameras raised, to capture the celebratory moment Monday morning when Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg cut the ribbon, opening the $1.5 billion Kansas City International Airport terminal that was years in the making.
Mayor Quinton Lucas, Gov. Mike Parson and Secretary Buttigieg were among the officials on a citywide tour Monday. Their first stop was congratulating the city on its new aviation hub.
“An airport like this is also the front door to a community,” Buttigieg said. “The first impression for millions of people who will come here for work, for pleasure, to see loved ones, and it’s certainly safe to say that the new Kansas City International Airport will do that job particularly well.”
Monday night, passengers will board the final flight through the old terminal headed to Chicago before the new 1.1-million square foot terminal opens Tuesday morning.
With the NFL Draft, March Madness and the 2026 World Cup bringing national attention to the metro area, officials lauded the terminal as a way to welcome newcomers and returning visitors to Kansas City in style. Lucas and others praised workers for completing the project both on time and within budget, despite challenges caused by the pandemic since officials broke ground on the new terminal in March 2019.
“Can you imagine the impression people are going to have of Kansas City and our state when they walk into this airport and see what it’s like to come here?” Parson asked.
Lucas thanked everyone who helped new terminal come together. Because of the improvements, he said the project will bring more jobs, revenue and opportunity to Missouri and Kansas.
The $1.5 billion terminal, the largest infrastructure project ever completed by the city, will replace the airport’s former three terminal set-up with 40 gates and a 6,200-space parking facility with curb space for rideshare services like Lyft and Uber.
Local food and drink vendors including Pigwich and Parisi Coffee and large-scale art installations that honor aspects of the city fill the new terminal. During a recent open house, community members marveled at the facility’s spaciousness and more modern look.
Officials also made efforts to ensure the new terminal would be an inclusive space for all travelers, with gender neutral restrooms, play areas for children and sensory rooms and flight simulators to help passengers relax before their flights.
‘We have the momentum’
Former mayor Sly James, who pushed for the new airport and oversaw the start of construction during his tenure, compared the project to “a seven-year pregnancy,” with unexpected hurdles that forced officials to adapt and change course. He recalled the long meetings and political drama that went into the new terminal’s beginnings, and thanked the public servants who played a role in its planning and construction.
“They’ve done things that people said they couldn’t do, and some said they shouldn’t do,” James said. “All of the people who were opposed to this concept at the beginning can walk around now and be proud and call it their own, because at the end of the day, this is what Kansas City needs.”
When visitors come through the new terminal, James said they’ll be greeted by an improved view and representation of Kansas City that will encourage them to return. Kansas Lt. Gov. David Toland said the new airport will also welcome business leaders to the area, hopefully encouraging them to expand in the Kansas City area and add more jobs on both sides of the state line.
As Kansas City grows, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said the new airport will open the area to more opportunities.
“We have the momentum,” Cleaver said. “The public, the political structure the business community, so there is no force out there trying to stop the momentum of Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding area.”
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