Kansas City International Airport (MCI) welcomed 9.82 million passengers in 2022, its 50th year of operations. The airport’s recovery from the pandemic has been strong and steady over recent months, reaching over 300 daily departures and arrivals by the end of the year.
The airport is expected to exceed that figure in 2023, bringing it almost back in line with its pre-pandemic peak of 12 million annual passengers. Among those included in 2023’s figures will be members of the Kansas City Chiefs, who returned home following their Superbowl victory on a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 earlier this week.
Southwest Airlines – the local market leader
In 2022, the bustiest domestic route from Kansas City was to Denver (DEN), served by Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. Despite its growing passenger numbers, Kansas City International Airport has just two international routes – Toronto (YYZ), operated by Air Canada, and Cancún (CUN), served by American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
Southwest Airlines is by far the largest airline operating at the airport, with a 45% market share last year. The low-cost carrier is due to expand further this summer, taking advantage of the extra capacity offered by the airport’s new terminal.
Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal
Kansas City International Airport’s new $1.5 billion terminal is set to open on February 28th. Coming in at $500 million over budget, construction on what has become the city’s costliest infrastructure project has taken six years to complete. The new facility will boast 39 gates, supporting the airport’s recovery from the pandemic, and also leaving room for future expansion.
The new terminal is currently undergoing testing with a group of 600 volunteers, simulating departing and arriving passengers. One volunteer described the terminal as “bright and vibrant,” adding,
“It inspires creativity and inspires life, which is Kansas City.”
For others, the new terminal was a source of pride. Volunteer Lisa Qualls said,
“For first-time travelers to our city, to be able to see us putting our best foot forward compared to what it's been in the past, it's been incredibly exciting. And honestly I had a happy tear as I walked through the airport.”
Another volunteer took to Twitter to share their impressions of the new terminal building:
The testing enabled the finishing touches to be put to the project, with the deputy director of the Kansas City Aviation Department, Justin Meyer, saying,
“We know that there's a lot of things we have left to learn and things we're gonna learn very quickly in terms of signage, and printers that need to be reset, things like that. We're exactly two weeks out from the new terminal opening, and now's the time for us to get those last details correct.”
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Have you flown through Kansas City International Airport? Will you be using the new terminal once it opens on February 28th? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal