St John’s International Airport is to open its expanded airport terminal building on July 12, 2018. The construction for the first phase of the expansion started in 2014 and has added 145,000ft² (13,470m²) to the departures area.
The first flights on the morning of July 12 will operate through the new pre-board screening area, which will be accessible through the first floor adjacent to the check-in area. The new and expanded departures lounge will feature additional seating and gate capacity and more food, beverage and retail outlets.
The existing airport terminal was designed to accommodate an annual capacity of 900,000 passengers. Since the initial opening in 2002, the annual passenger volume at the hub has grown to exceed 1.5 million passengers, resulting in a building with many operational constraints and limited services. The expansion that is presently underway is designed to address these issues.
Construction on the second phase will commence in 2019 and add approximately 100,000ft² (9,290m²) to the arrivals area. When the expansion project is completed in 2022, the terminal will be more than double its existing size at 420,000ft² (39,019m²).