BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — The North Central West Virginia Airport is finishing up construction on its new terminal, aiming to open in October, according to Airport Director Rick Rock.
Rock said the terminal construction is complete and now outside infrastructure is being finalized. The new terminal will allow for increased parking for aircraft and cars.
Initially the plan was to open the new terminal in May but that date has been pushed tentatively to Oct. 1.
“It’s just moving right along. We don’t want to rush it because this is going to serve us for a long time. We want to make sure we do it right the first time, and I think that we have,” Rock said on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”
Located off Route 279 in Bridgeport, the new terminal will exist in the AeroTech Business Park, a 65-acre plot of flat land that is continually being developed.
Rock said the goal is to double the airport’s current staff. He also noted that the location is prime for attracting new businesses and customers.
“It was definitely the right place to put it, right off 279. It makes it a lot more accessible to people in North Central West Virginia,” he said.
With a $70 million budget, the new terminal will include upgraded modern conveniences, replacing the original terminal that was constructed in 1965. Rock said the upgrades are owed to an influx of passengers flying out of the airport.
“It’s going to be a major upgrade, but people that have used the airport are the ones that have really got us here because without their use we would have no need for [the building] we’re getting ready to move into,” he said.
The new airline will have four to five terminals, which Rock says may attract new airline carriers to the facility. Additionally, he said the airport will be taking on a new airline in December.
He hopes the upgrades will make the NCWV Airport more of a competitor with Pittsburgh International Airport.
“My goal is 100,000 [enplanements], and we’re going to keep moving towards that thing … We’re trying to reverse that leakage that’s going to Pittsburgh and try to keep as many people flying out of West Virginia as possible,” he said.
Rock said the new terminal will bring more infrastructure to the area and hopefully increase the number of people coming to West Virginia.
“It’s all of our jobs to make West Virginia a place people want to come to. Tourism in West Virginia has really become more aggressive, and we want to see people coming home. That’s a low-hanging fruit for all of us,” he said.
Story by Savannah Jones, MetroNews