If there is one place in St. Louis that almost everyone from WashU, from students to staff and faculty, has been to, it is the St. Louis Airport. Serving as a constant hub of traffic during university breaks and semester transitions, the airport functions as a critical piece of infrastructure for the various travel plans of WashU students and employees, as well as for the larger St. Louis area. But beyond the bustling baggage claims, security lines, familiar restaurants, and departure gates, the airport is nearing a time of transformation not seen in decades poised to bring new investment, opportunities, and visitors to St. Louis. Airport administrators are planning to execute a multi-year renovation project focused on terminal modernization and capacity expansion to accommodate projected passenger growth and demand and to encourage further travel to and from St. Louis.

There are two main terminals of the airport: Terminal 1 (first opened in 1956) mainly handles domestic travel, while Terminal 2 (opened in 1998) serves as a considerable travel connecting hub for Southwest Airlines and, more recently, handles any international traffic. Across the two terminals, the airport has 54 available gates for inbound and outbound flights, serving almost 16 million passengers in 2024, the highest since 2003, with projections aiming at steady increases in passengers served for the foreseeable future. Despite these expectations for increased growth and demand, the airport is embarking on a somewhat puzzling project: the complete repurposing of Terminal 2, built less than 30 years ago, and the centralization of airport activity through Terminal 1. 

This activity stems primarily from the rapid advancement in aircraft innovation and technology over the past few decades. During the opening of Terminal 1 in the 1950s and following the conclusion of World War II, commercial aviation was still in its infancy but rapidly expanding as an industry. Passenger aircraft were comparatively small, often carrying about 60-70 passengers at a time. By the opening of Terminal 2 in the 1990s, passenger aircraft had massively expanded seat capacity to be capable of carrying about 140 passengers at a time, but planes were actually slightly smaller due to the introduction of jet engines and aerodynamic innovation. Both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 were designed to accommodate the aircraft of their time but are now facing problems with the sizing of newer, modern aircraft. Modern aircraft have improved passenger seating (now seating about 180 passengers at a time) and expanded aircraft dimensions. A typical modern-day domestic travel aircraft boasts a wingspan of 118 feet compared to the 95-115 feet wingspans of aircraft in the past. International travel aircraft are even larger, with wingspans of over 200 feet. As a result, the terminal and gate designs of the St. Louis Airport are ill-equipped to accommodate these larger aircraft sizes, preventing full usage of available facilities. 

The St. Louis Airport has laid out a multi-year plan for renovations that aim to accommodate modern aircraft while also keeping pace with future travel growth and demand. These plans are still as of yet unconfirmed due to ongoing contract negotiations between the airport and construction firms. The most radical renovation being proposed is the repurposing of Terminal 2 and the centralization of all airport activities through Terminal 1. Terminal 1 gate capacity will be expanded from 36 to 62 gates, having gates on both sides of the expanded concourse to reduce travel time for passengers and increase airport operating efficiency. Customs and security checkpoints will be combined into one large service within Terminal 1, along with airline and baggage check-in stations. Parking spaces and ground transportation services will be situated just in front of Terminal 1, with renovations slated for expansion of both capabilities. Dual lanes for taxis and rideshare automobiles are routed throughout the new redesign in one clean loop around Terminal 1, serving as a more efficient means of allowing passengers to arrive and depart from the airport. Both original MetroLink stations for Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are slated to remain open and operational in the renovation plans, although any expansion of facility operations in the Terminal 1 station is still unclear.

These construction plans come with a hefty projected cost of almost $3 billion through 2040 for just the terminal renovations, with an additional cost of about $500 million allocated for additional airport projects relating to cargo flights and support facilities, as well as site development for Boeing operations. However, airport administrators anticipate no need for any public funding or usage of public tax dollars. Instead, payment for the renovations is planned to come from a whole host of sources, including discretionary funds, passenger facility charges, grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airport revenue bonds, and federal infrastructure grants. Construction is slated to begin in late 2026 following funding approvals and the obtaining of relevant permits. The expansion is estimated to be completed in 2031 or 2032, although this projection is still early on. 

For WashU students and St. Louis community members, these construction plans will have substantive impacts on travel plans, both short-term and long-term. In the short-term, the repurposing of Terminal 2 means that all Southwest traffic and flights will eventually have to be rerouted to Terminal 1 as construction begins. This will likely mean increased congestion in rideshare and taxi drop-offs and pick-ups, longer security lines, and crowded airline and baggage check-in counters. Additionally, increased travel delays and congestion are likely in the interim as airport operations adjust. Costs for travel to and from the airport and ticket prices are likely to increase due to construction congestion, alongside increased airport travel times for travelers across the St. Louis area.

In the long-term, these renovations could serve as a major upgrade for community members and especially WashU students. Currently, much of St. Louis traffic is origin/destination traffic, meaning that most passengers either start or end their trips in St. Louis rather than connecting through to other destinations. This results in less expansive flight offerings by airlines in St. Louis, forcing travellers to take one- or two-stop trips to arrive at their desired destinations. The proposed centralization of airport operations through Terminal 1 could be attractive for airlines operating out of St. Louis. The addition of more gates into Terminal 1 means that connection times for passengers are reduced and flights are able to arrive and depart from the airport in a much more efficient manner, allowing more passengers to be accommodated and more flights to be scheduled. In general, the expansions will likely provide a cheaper, more efficient travel experience. 

For now, during this multi-year project, WashU students are likely to face disruptions in their travel plans, longer wait periods, and frustrations with the ongoing airport construction. However, these renovations are helping to set up a new future for St. Louis and for future WashU students, one that encourages new connections nationally and globally, and perhaps a future that encourages the blossoming of new investment, new opportunities, and new visitors to St. Louis.