ST. LOUIS — An area study shows a huge economic boost for St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The economy could grow by billions of dollars in the next eight years, according to Greater St. Louis, Inc.
It broke down how the airport is a cornerstone for the local economy and how consolidation of terminals one and two could play a major factor in growth.
Jason Hall, Greater St. Louis Inc. CEO said over the last few years they've been working with the airport on this single terminal design.
"There’s a log of regulatory work that needs to be done, the FAA has to approve this, lots of environmental reviews, so it’s been talked about for a long time," he said.
Hall said when you look at our airport, specifically in terminal 2 where Southwest Airlines is, there's room for improvement.
"There’s no more room to grow. There are not enough restaurants, there’s not enough coffee shops and we need those kinds of things to support our passengers and all of the visitors that come here, so we know we need to unite this with one single terminal," he said.
The study compared the economic impact between 2019 to what it could be in 2032.
According to Greater St. Louis Inc., the new single terminal is expected to bring in nearly $5 billion and 30,000 additional jobs by 2032. On top of that, the study said, 80% of similarly sized metros are investing in new airports like this one.
Also, no state or local taxpayer dollars would be used for the $2.8 billion single terminal project.
Hall said this will help St. Louis continue its positive growth as a city.
"If we are going to continue that resurgence, you’ve got to have a world class airport. Our competitors have invested heavily. Unfortunately, we are at the bottom 20% of our peer set. That is not sustainable. If we want to continue the young people moving back to our region, if we want to continue creating more job opportunities and improve the quality of life for all, you have got to be globally connected and that is the front door to our global connection to the rest of the world," he said.
So how would this impact you as a traveler?
According to Hall, it would add more gates and concessions, a larger on-site garage that would triple the number of parking spaces, an improved roadway system for better driver drop-off and pickup and room for more domestic and international routes.
"When you look at how it’s going to make everyone’s life easier from getting on the road, going to park, single terminal, consolidated modern TSA clearance processes. All of that is going to make everyone’s life much easier. It’ll have a buzz about it, which I think is great for our city. The passenger experience is at the center of all of this, and it is going to be easier for folks with all of the modern facilities that come with this," he said.
Passengers 5 On Your Side spoke to have mixed emotions about it though.
"It's going to be too much traffic. It's going to be bad, if they consolidate it," Deborah Chunn said.
"I think it'll solve a lot of the traffic funneling issues throughout the airport. They just got to do it right," Kim Tarka said.
Both stakeholders and passengers are optimistic about what the future could bring.
"I think we'll have to wait to see, but St. Louis is in need of a refresh, so I think it's a good idea," Tarka said.
"We are a great global center of aerospace and if we are going to continue to win those advantages, we've got to make this critical investment," Hall said.
Airport officials began negotiations for the new terminal back in May and previously said it would take two years.
According to our partners at the St. Louis Business Journal, they hope to reach an agreement with the airlines during the summer of 2024.
The FAA has started a study for this consolidation terminal project, which is expected to be completed by early September.
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