San Antonio to Expand Its Airport by 2028

Right before Kansas City opens a new airport on February 28, the city council of San Antonio unveiled renderings of its own airport-upgrade project.

A new, 832,000-square-foot terminal for San Antonio International Airport is in the works for a mid-2028 opening. It will be larger than the airport’s other two terminals combined and provide 16 more gates, bringing the total number of gates at the airport to 40. Further, it will accommodate larger planes that can travel longer distances, something long desired by the local business community, according to this article by Texas Public Radio.

The new space will include club lounges, an outdoor courtyard, concessions, and an upgraded corridor for international arrivals to go through customs and border inspection. The plan also calls for a new ground-transportation hub for bus transportation services such as Lyft and Uber.

Jesus Saenz, San Antonio’s director of airports, said during a city council meeting in mid-February that the facility’s overhaul will meet the city's needs far into the future. “We’re not planning for 2030. We're planning out to 2040 to ensure we have further capacity for growth going forward.”

However, some of the $2.5 billion cost for the plan will need to come from the federal infrastructure law passed in early 2022, which has not yet been secured. The remaining cost would likely be covered by fees charged to airlines per passenger.