Confidence in Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport grows

Two major announcements on Sept. 26 show how much confidence outsiders have in the growing Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

- The Federal Aviation Administration unexpectedly offered $6 million to construct an additional two gates at the western terminal, bringing the total to 10 by 2013. This will increase capacity beyond the planned 1.2 million passengers, though by how much is not yet certain.

That’s in addition to the $9.75 million the airport received in March to grow the terminal from six to eight gates, a project that also commenced on Sept. 26.

- Allegiant Air announced service to Las Vegas, the airport’s most requested destination. The carrier felt it had enough customers in Mesa to deviate from its focus on small cold-weather destinations and offer flights that directly compete with what’s being offered at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

 

Unlike most of Allegiant’s flights, which run one or two days a week, these will be offered six days a week, creating steadier action at the airport. The flights also will serve an international airport, not a reliever, giving the airline and the airport wider exposure.

 

If the experiment is successful, it will provide even more evidence that Gateway has what it takes to serve major destinations and truly become a reliever for Sky Harbor.

That’s important for the region economically. Offering more diverse stops and more room to handle those flights will boost passenger traffic and bolster the case for other airlines to take a chance on Gateway, which, in turn, will make the area more attractive for jet-setting business types and help attract jobs to the massive employment center that surrounds the airport.

Already, passenger counts have far outpaced forecasts. The airport’s 2009 master plan predicted the western terminal would reach 850,000 annual boardings by 2017. But a recent study says the airport is on track to reach that milestone by 2014.

The study addressed how and when a larger terminal should be built east of the runways. The site is crucial to the airport’s economic future because it would have better freeway access and the room necessary to handle 5 million to 10 million boardings annually.

The study estimates that a 300,000-square-foot terminal with 14 gates would be needed once passenger traffic exceeds 1.5 million boardings annually. It also lays out basic plans to grow the terminal over decades to 1.4 million square feet and 60 gates.

That’s three times the number of gates at Los Angeles Ontario International Airport, which has been used as a model for Gateway’s growth.

Make no mistake: The two extra gates likely bought the western terminal some time, so construction on the east side is still years away. It’s doubtful that passenger counts will be high enough to justify the work until the airport can snag at least a second carrier.

But it will take years to plan and fund the new terminal, which initially carries an estimated $258 million price tag. Though Mesa has extended Ray and Hawes roads to the site and is speeding construction on Arizona 24, the freeway that will skirt the airport, much more work remains.

Given the confidence that is building in Gateway, work on these ideas can’t come too soon