Big airport expansion project to begin
The Flathead Municipal Airport Authority on Tuesday approved the first phase of construction for the $100 million expansion of Glacier Park International Airport.
“We are really excited for construction to get underway. The project is a culmination of four years of planning,” Airport Director Rob Ratkowski said. “This expansion will nearly triple the current square footage of our facilities, taking GPIA from 75,000 square feet to almost 200,000 square feet.”
Originally slated to begin last year, construction was paused following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent decline in travel. However, over the course of 2020, Glacier Park International experienced a remarkable recovery in travel numbers.
Ratkowski told the Inter Lake earlier this year the average number of daily passengers that went through the airport security checkpoints in December 2020 reached 542 travelers per day, quite a contrast from the airport’s all-time low of just 21 passengers through the checkpoint on April 18, 2020, during the pandemic.
The busiest day at the airport last year was Aug. 16, 2020, when 1,962 passengers were recorded at the security checkpoint.
“The travel recovery at GPIA is a tremendous indicator of the increasing popularity of the area,” Ratkowski said. “The airport expansion will allow us to comfortably accommodate a greater number of airlines, routes, and travelers; those wanting to visit the Flathead Valley and those traveling from Montana to other areas of the country.”
Swank Enterprises and Q&D Construction were awarded the construction contract in February 2020 and began pursuing subcontractor bids following Airport Authority approval in January.
The majority of the expansion work will focus on passenger areas, with additional back-of-house improvements planned for operational areas such as TSA screening checkpoints and baggage management spaces.
According to a press release, the passenger experience will remain largely unchanged through the busy summer season as construction begins. The preliminary work is almost complete and groundbreaking on the basement facilities will begin later this summer.
Glacier Park International Airport has been a part of the Kalispell community for more than 70 years. What began in 1942 as a small runway in the middle of farmland grew into a commercial airport in 1950 and eventually an international airport by 1970.
“The airport is a vital asset to this community and the terminal expansion is pivotal for continuing to provide an important service to Kalispell and the surrounding areas,” Ratkowski said.
