New airport terminal wins NFTA approval

by Susan Mikula Campbell
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, November 29, 2007

An artist’s rendering of the inside of the new terminal
slated for the Niagara Falls International Airport.

The long-awaited new terminal for the Niagara Falls International Airport won final approval Monday by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

“Two years from now, travelers from all over the world will be getting off a plane in Niagara Falls and they will be greeted by a beautiful new airport terminal,” said State Sen. George Maziarz. “As I’ve been saying for years, a new airport terminal is key to expanding opportunities for businesses we already have, and ones we hope will locate here. Indeed, this project will lead to many good things for our area and its residents, things we may not even be able to predict today.”

Maziarz called for NFTA approval earlier this month at a press conference where he announced a $2 million Niagara Economic Development Fund grant, which added to dedicated Seneca Niagara Casino revenues would provide more than 50 percent of the terminal’s $31.5 million cost. The remainder will be bonded by the NFTA.

Niagara Falls Schools Superintendent Carmen Granto, one of Niagara County’s commissioners on the NFTA board, was elated by the approval.

“I think it’s one of the key pieces for the future growth of Niagara County,” he said. “It’s absolutely a piece of the puzzle.”

He said he already knows of charter flight and cargo companies that are interested in the airport’s capabilities, and that realtors are telling him land values around the airport are increasing.

Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte pointed out that the new terminal will enhance the airport’s ability to accept both cargo and passenger flights, promoting both business and tourism in the county.

“The $14 million that was set aside for the terminal in the casino cash agreement was a key source of funding which allowed the entire project to move forward,” she said after the NFTA Aviation Committee’s approval of the project last week. “A new terminal is one more step toward turning the economy around in Niagara County.”

The contract for the new terminal goes to the Walter S. Johnson Building Co., a Niagara Falls business since 1923.

William R. Vanecek, NFTA director of aviation, explained that the current terminal was built when planes were smaller and there was ramp loading. Customs and immigration offices do not have a separate space in the existing terminal, which means a domestic and an international flight cannot be handled at the same time.

The new terminal will be built between the existing building and the Calspan facility.

The new 65,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility will have a two-level layout for jet bridge boarding, food/beverage concessions, a federal inspection station and in-line baggage screening. The two-gate terminal will be able to handle an international flight and a domestic flight simultaneously.