San Antonio International Airport News & Updates

[SAonFire]

https://www.kens5.com/article/news/local...273-cc79f6d6-ee8a-49d4-ac7c-714507bfa025

Author: David Lynch (KENS 5)
Published: 10:08 PM CST December 2, 2024
Updated: 12:38 PM CST December 3, 2024

SAN ANTONIO — After years of planning – and amid an ongoing legal battle about which airlines will get to use it – construction will start Dec. 10 on a new $1.4 billion terminal that will essentially double the size of San Antonio's main airport.

Terminal C is the central component of a $2 billion to prepare San Antonio International (SAT) for future growth. The airport is already experiencing that this year, and you might have noticed if you've had to wait at long TSA lines; the airport continues to service historic numbers of travelers, with aviation officials saying the first 10 months of 2024 have each set monthly records for travelers passing through the facility, peaking with 1,032,610 in July.

[SAonFire]

This story has additional info to the one I previously posted. Exciting news!

by Shari Biediger
December 2, 2024

https://sanantonioreport.org/its-happening-sat-makes-real-a-new-much-bigger-airport-terminal/

San Antonio airport officials will break ground Dec. 10 on a planned new air terminal — expanding the number of gates from 27 to 40.

It’s the first major project at the San Antonio International Airport (SAT) since Terminal B opened in 2010. The $1.68 billion new terminal is expected to be completed in 2028.

[SAonFire]

I hope this a positive sign of things to come! I sure would love to see a day when expansion could yield a direct route to a Central or S. American destination. (Please don't blame me for dreaming).

Low-cost airline Viva celebrates inaugural nonstop flight from San Antonio to Guadalajara

David Ibañez, Web - Managing Editor

Published: December 3, 2024 at 10:43 AM

https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/12/...-flight-from-san-antonio-to-guadalajara/

SAN ANTONIO – Mexico’s ultra-low-cost airline Viva celebrated its inaugural flight on Monday from San Antonio International Airport (SAT) to Guadalajara International Airport (GDL).

The flight marks the airline’s sixth nonstop destination from San Antonio.

The new service offers flights to Guadalajara four times weekly. With the holiday season approaching, Jacob Tyler, air service administrator for the City of San Antonio Aviation Department, emphasized the timing.

[JACKinBeantown]

• Video Link

[texboy]

New Terminal Renders


SAT just posted new renderings for the New Terminal. I have to say... impressed. The conceptuals did the final design no justice. Lots of light, some dramatic heights and PLENTY of room to maneuver Carry-ons to your gate. Assuming finish colors aren't final, but overall this is a major step in the right direction.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by texboy

New Terminal Renders


SAT just posted new renderings for the New Terminal. I have to say... impressed. The conceptuals did the final design no justice. Lots of light, some dramatic heights and PLENTY of room to maneuver Carry-ons to your gate. Assuming finish colors aren't final, but overall this is a major step in the right direction.

Thanks for sharing. Very nice but generic (as all airports are), but the garden area between (what I assume is) baggage claim and the pickup area is really special. Usually you're just ejected right onto the curb from the terminal, having a transitional space that actually welcomes you to this place makes so much sense. Palm Springs is famous for its outdoor areas of course but that's after security, I can't think of anywhere else in the US that effectively incorporates any meaningful outdoor elements around the terminal.

Edit: And there's a courtyard?? I love it.

[Spoiler]

I wish they would go full-bore with this courtyard nature concept and create a hillside replica of the Edwards Plateau, ADA compliant of course, with lots of exposed limestone and escarpment live oaks and some mesquite and ashe juniper and prickly pear and a creek etc. with trail signs reading stuff like "BAGGAGE CLAIM" and "US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION PRECLEARANCE". It wouldn't cost too much and of course there would be indoor access to those destinations as well for if it ever rains.

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

I wish they would go full-bore with this courtyard nature concept and create a hillside replica of the Edwards Plateau, ADA compliant of course, with lots of exposed limestone and escarpment live oaks and some mesquite and ashe juniper and prickly pear and a creek etc. with trail signs reading stuff like "BAGGAGE CLAIM" and "US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION PRECLEARANCE". It wouldn't cost too much and of course there would be indoor access to those destinations as well for if it ever rains.

... or if people don't want to get cedar fever from the ashe juniper.

Seriously though, this looks nice. Apparently, the footprint of Terminal C is being scaled back, but I guess that leaves room for a potential Terminal D in the future.

[ahealy]

and just like that, SAT becomes leaps and bounds better than AUS

[starvinggryphon]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

... or if people don't want to get cedar fever from the ashe juniper.

Seriously though, this looks nice. Apparently, the footprint of Terminal C is being scaled back, but I guess that leaves room for a potential Terminal D in the future.

I thought it looked very small compared to the renderings that were released. How disappointing.

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by starvinggryphon

I thought it looked very small compared to the renderings that were released. How disappointing.

Not sure where you guys are seeing a scaled back terminal C. Back in 2023, articles were stating it would comprise of 850,000 sqft of new terminal space and it says the same thing on the SAT site today. Concession space is the same and there is also 29,000 sqft of club lounge space.

[texboy]

Originally Posted by Tornado

Not sure where you guys are seeing a scaled back terminal C. Back in 2023, articles were stating it would comprise of 850,000 sqft of new terminal space and it says the same thing on the SAT site today. Concession space is the same and there is also 29,000 sqft of club lounge space.

Yeah, absolutely nothing has been scaled back here.

[JACKinBeantown]

My bad, I guess. They're showing conflicting renderings. In the video, at 1:10 it only goes straight back.

• Video Link

But in the other renderings it's still angled at the end to be parallel to the runway.

https://flysanantonio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/up-to-17-gate-expansion.png

[FightOn!]

Beautiful! The major change I see is they got rid of the outdoor grotto in the center of the terminal, post security. Don't mind that, especially like what they did with the outdoor space leading to the pickup area.

This development plus hopefully the new arena development, San Antonio is growing up!

[texboy]

Originally Posted by JACKinBeantown

My bad, I guess. They're showing conflicting renderings. In the video, at 1:10 it only goes straight back.

• Video Link

But in the other renderings it's still angled at the end to be parallel to the runway.

https://flysanantonio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/up-to-17-gate-expansion.png

That’s an old conceptual rendering in that video. The new terminal still over doubles the size of the existing two terminals combined. The angle of the terminal was more than likely a scale up from the original renders actually as the the original concept didn’t include centralizing ticketing and baggage claim along with sizable lounge areas into the new terminal. Instead it envisioned building out a new concourse, THEN building out a new "central Processing" area with additional gates.

[Keep-SA-Lame]

Originally Posted by Spoiler

I wish they would go full-bore with this courtyard nature concept and create a hillside replica of the Edwards Plateau, ADA compliant of course, with lots of exposed limestone and escarpment live oaks and some mesquite and ashe juniper and prickly pear and a creek etc. with trail signs reading stuff like "BAGGAGE CLAIM" and "US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION PRECLEARANCE". It wouldn't cost too much and of course there would be indoor access to those destinations as well for if it ever rains.

Damn that would be sick. Also wondering where the transit stops will be. With the Green Line terminating at the airport now SAT will be a relatively busy transit center.

[jkill34]

Looks like they will also be expanding the runway 10,000 ft. Which I think will allow the airport some more international flights.

[SproutingTowers]

Originally Posted by jkill34

Looks like they will also be expanding the runway 10,000 ft. Which I think will allow the airport some more international flights.

Looks like any runway expansion will not part of this project where this is the statement from SAT.

Land acquisition is required not for any extensions of the runway itself but may be for the edges of the protective surfaces beyond the end of the extended runways (most of which the City already owns). Because improvements in the next 20 years will be made on an incremental basis (for example, taxiway improvements and incremental runway extensions), it will be up to 20 years before we would require additional land. In the meantime, if property near the ends of the main runway or around the airport perimeter becomes available for sale, we hope to be able to buy and hold it for future aeronautical use.

[FightOn!]

SAT Twitter shared more renderings. Looks very nice! Great job SA.
https://x.com/SATairport/status/1866966428072468575

[JACKinBeantown]

Originally Posted by FightOn!

SAT Twitter shared more renderings. Looks very nice! Great job SA.
https://x.com/SATairport/status/1866966428072468575

Looks great! Except for all those lifelike statues.