City Spotlight: Raleigh-Durham Airport Readies New Terminal

Raleigh-Durham International Airport next month will roll out the first phase of a new terminal, which when completed will be able to process more than 11 million passengers a year.

On Oct. 26, Terminal Two will offer 10 gates, as well as the majority of the ticketing, security checkpoints and baggage areas. The second phase, which the airport plans to open in the winter of 2011, will host an additional 13 gates.

"Terminal Two focuses on moving the passengers through the terminal more easily," said airport spokesperson Mindy Hamlin, adding that it will offer ticketing islands rather than traditional against-the-wall ticketing areas, to congestion and provide more space for electronic kiosks. The terminal will offer flexible gates, which can hold planes ranging in size from a regional jet to a Boeing 737.

"This terminal has been needed for many years because the number of passengers traveling through here has grown in 20 years," Hamlin said. Last year, more than 10 million passengers used the airport. Once Terminal Two is completed, the airport will be able to annually process 17 million passengers. There also is an opportunity to expand the terminal if needed.

The new terminal originally was planned to replace Terminal A, an expensive option because the airport would have had to tear down the old terminal and build temporary facilities, Hamlin said.

The project moved to replacing Terminal C after American Airlines decided to sell the terminal's lease. Previously, some gates had been subleased to now-defunct Midway Airlines.

"At that time, we refocused our terminal development plans on that terminal because it was more cost-effective to tear down that terminal because Midway Airlines had closed its doors," Hamlin said. "When Midway closed its doors, the whole northern portion of Terminal C was empty. That allowed us to concentrate on demolishing part of the terminal and start building Terminal Two without affecting passengers."