REDMOND, OR -- Amid the hustle and bustle of holiday travel, the Redmond Airport is planning a major terminal expansion project. Airport Director Zach Bass says it’ll grow the terminal by more than 75,000 square feet. Director Zach Bass says the design is not yet finalized, but the space is coming, "2009 is when we expanded to where we are now; and at the time, people were like, ‘that’s too big.’ It’s not. We’ve grown 130% since that time. Just last year, we put more than a million people through the terminal. And, if you’ve ever been there in the morning or a busier time, our hold room, where people wait for their aircraft, is too small."

Construction is slated to begin in 2024, "When it’s done, after two or three years, you’re going to be seeing six or seven jet bridges, 50,000-square feet of new hold room, more retail, more concessions, maybe more ticketing for new airlines coming online in the next 10 years. It’s basically just an overarching expansion of the airport." Those new "jet bridges" will allow passengers to avoid walking outside to get to their plane. He says an escalator is also expected. A new webpage is now online for the public to track progress of the $100 million project. 

Bass says, despite the large-scale plans, the airport won’t lose its small-scale personality, "A big part of this design that we’re working on right now is making sure that that’s one of our highest priorities: How do we design this to keep the same feel even though we’re growing? We’re hoping to keep the airport the same look, in a sense, friendly and clean. All that kind of comes in to how you design it."

The work will be paid for by FAA grants, airport revenue and savings.