The Akron-Canton Airport has unveiled a 20-year, $240 million master plan. Improvements will include an expanded ticketing area and parking, plus a redesign of the main driveway to better accommodate passenger and commercial traffic.
Airport CEO Richard McQueen says the most visible interior change will be five new gates, replacing ones that opened in 1962.
“Aircraft that time were a little different than they are today. So that space is very congested and very crowded. So we want to do a more modern gate system that meets the size of the aircraft that is servicing the airport.”
McQueen says the 20-year plan is flexible and can be sped up or delayed to keep pace with passenger growth in the region.
“In there is a parking structure. There’s also an additional six gates – we have 11; we’ll go to 17. We also looked at our runways/taxiway systems. There’s pavement upgrades that we need out there from an operational perspective.”
The new gates are expected to cost at least $30 million and will include enclosed loading bridges for passengers to walk onto the planes.
The new master plan comes on the heels of a previous 10-year plan which included a runway expansion and a new customs and border patrol facility.
