At their annual meeting, members of the Tucson Airport Authority (TAA) heard leadership recount 2018 as “a milestone year” of achievements with more to be accomplished in 2019.
Highlighting some of the events that celebrated the TAA’s 70th anniversary in 2018, Board Chair Lisa Lovallo listed some of the year’s achievements, which included:
- A 10.3 percent increase to more than 3.6 million airline passengers using Tucson International Airport (TUS), putting it among the 10 busiest years in TAA’s history.
- Receiving formal approval to proceed with a $218 million Airfield Safety Enhancement project that will remove and replace a short narrow runway and replace it with a parallel commercial to provide redundancy, add navigational aids and modernize taxiways. Design work is planned for this year with construction to start in late 2020 and then completion in phases through 2025. The project also includes a land swap that will benefit Raytheon Missile Systems by providing space for expansion and a buffer zone.
- Renovation of a partially vacant building, which was opened as the C Gates in what turned out to be a successful effort to attract ultralow-cost carriers. Allegiant Air began using the facility as of January 10 and TAA officials say other airlines have expressed an interest in using the facility.
- An economic impact study that found TAA and its airports contribute $7.4 billion annually to the region’s economy, including more than 43,000 jobs with an average wage of more $81,000 per year.
- Finalizing an agreement with Raytheon Missile Systems to keep the region’s largest private employer as a TAA tenant for years to come and allowing for its expansion.
- Agreeing on a letter of intent that provides for a new main gate for the 162nd Wing’s Morris Air National Guard Base that also preserves Tucson-based defense contractor Aerovation.
- Welcoming ultra-low-cost carriers Frontier and Sun Country airlines, in addition to Allegiant.
- Establishing a ground-breaking partnership with Sun Corridor Inc. to maximize the commercial and industrial development and investment at TAA’s airports. At Lovallo’s request, Joe Snell, President and CEO of Sun Corridor, talked about some of the activities being done to reach potential businesses and industries.
Following Lovallo’s speech, TAA President and CEO Bonnie Allin talked about what lies ahead in 2019, including projects for the TUS terminal to add family restrooms, add small and unique concessions, build children’s play areas on the concourses and renovate the Military Lounge.
She also told TAA members of a long-range project that would reconfigure the entire front of the airport terminal into what’s being called an Airport Travel Plaza. Citing new technologies that have changed the modes of ground transportation, such as Lyft and Uber, “we see landside facilities being completely changed,” she said. “We intend to say ahead of this rapidly changing environment.”
Allin finished her talk by noting that airlines have scheduled a 12.6 percent increase in scheduled capacity through the first half of 2019, which is about three times the national average.
“This is a tremendous vote of confidence that airlines are betting on Tucson to fill these added seats and sustain this scheduled growth,” Allin said. “I encourage you to do all you can to help Tucson meet this challenge and not squander the opportunity
