ITHACA — Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport is joining other airports in the region as it prepares to kick off a $22 million renovation. The airport, which offers direct flights to Newark Liberty International Airport, Detroit, and Philadelphia, will use a $14.2 million state grant to help pay for the work to “revitalize and expand” the facility, […]
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ITHACA — Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport is joining other airports in the region as it prepares to kick off a $22 million renovation.
The airport, which offers direct flights to Newark Liberty International Airport, Detroit, and Philadelphia, will use a $14.2 million state grant to help pay for the work to “revitalize and expand” the facility, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. The grant comes from the $200 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition.
Syracuse Hancock International Airport and Elmira Corning Regional Airport are also getting major facelifts this year utilizing state grant money
The availability of the state grants has helped drive the surge in airport work, explains Bill Hopper, aviation director at Elmira Corning Regional Airport. He notes that airports in Rochester and Plattsburgh are also using state funds for renovations.
On May 7, the state announced another round of grants for work on upstate airports. The state will make $20 million in new funding available to all public-use airports listed in the State Airport System Plan. That includes 70 general aviation airports and 18 commercial airports.
The work at Elmira Corning, scheduled to be completed this fall, includes a new baggage area, screening section, and boarding areas. Some could be in use as soon as August, says Hopper, the airport’s director of aviation.
Elmira Corning Regional Airport offers direct flights to Detroit, Newark, and seasonal destinations in Florida.
In Syracuse, Hancock International Airport has been undergoing a $48.8 million renovation, forcing the relocation of many airport tenants and the rerouting of traffic. The project, expected to be completed in the fall, seeks to “turn an archaic facility into a state-of-the-art transportation hub that meets the needs of the 21st century traveler,” according to a release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.
The work includes a redesign of the grand hall; the food, beverage and retail concessions; and the exterior façade. It will also include a new Regional Aviation History Museum; a glass pedestrian bridge; and an “eco-friendly” roof along with new flooring and furniture.
Hancock International Airport has 21 direct flights. Destinations include Boston, New York, Detroit, Minnesota, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Toronto, and Las Vegas as well as five airports in Florida.
The upgrades in Ithaca will include construction of a new 5,000-square-foot federal customs facility, 1,700-square-feet of space at the main entrance and an expanded ticket counter to improve passenger circulation and provide more room for ticket lines.
The improvements will include reconfiguration of the security checkpoint and relocation of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) office space as part of a 7,500-square-foot expansion of the passenger hold room.
Plans call for the reconfiguration of airline office space and expansion of baggage screening space as part of a 2,500-square-foot addition on the east side. The upgrades will also include “major” security enhancements, including updating TSA baggage screening to be compliant with post-9/11 security requirements and adding another line for passenger security screening to “alleviate wait times,” Cuomo’s office said.
In addition, the upgrades include three new passenger boarding bridges to accommodate jet aircraft and additional service. The airport converted to all-jet service last year.
The state expects work at Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport to be completed next year.
