Palmer airport terminal expansion takes off with July arrival of steel beams

Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Tuesday marked the first milestone in construction of a $28 million terminal expansion, with about a third of the project’s initial phase in place.

Completion of the first of three phases is slated for April of next year, according to Scott Kunselman, engineer for the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which operates the Unity airport. The first phase will see completion of the shell of the two-story, 32,000-square-foot addition and relocation of a security checkpoint.

With the foundation complete, crews have worked to make up time after delivery of steel beams for the construction was delayed by about three months, until July 1, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the airport authority.

“Everybody was champing at the bit, waiting for the steel to get here,” Monzo said.

As part of the $12 million initial construction phase, the airport authority approved a nearly $150,000 change order for additional steel work where the new addition will join the existing terminal. That increases the total due to general contractor Allegheny Construction Group to about $7.95 million.

Spirit numbers lagging

Monzo said recent flights by Spirit Airlines, the only commercial carrier that served the airport, have been filled to between 80% and 90% of capacity.

“It’s going pretty well,” he said.

Still, each month this year, the total number of Spirit passengers arriving and departing at the airport has trailed the numbers recorded during the same months in 2024. Through June of this year, there have been 55,020 passengers, compared to 72,644 during the first six months of the previous year.

Spirit offers routes from the Unity airport to Orlando, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The authority continues to hold out hope of enticing an additional commercial carrier with expanded facilities, Monzo said.

“I think the airlines will react,” he said. “The situation where we can’t serve more than two or three aircraft at a time right now is holding us back. We’ve done it on several occasions, but it takes a lot of manpower to do that.

“It’s not ‘Build it and they will come.’ It’s ‘Build it and we can use it.’ We’re stretched to capacity now.”

The county is contributing $4 million toward funding the expansion project and annually has budgeted about $2.6 million to help support operation of the airport.

Monzo said studies have indicated the airport adds $220 million to the county economy, with $100 million of that attributed to Spirit operations.

Upcoming phases

The airport authority has received approval of part of the $3 million in federal funding set for the terminal project’s second phase and expects to soon get the remaining amount, according to Kunselman.

That part of the project, which is expected to begin next May, will move the authority staff offices to a lower-level area, making way for the new security checkpoint and queuing area.

The final phase, Kunselman said, is slated to begin construction in 2027 and will make improvements to the original terminal — including new restrooms and an expanded baggage claim area.

Monzo said the terminal expansion, combined with replacement of one 25-year-old passenger boarding bridge and refurbishment of another, will increase the airport’s capacity for commercial flights and will ease the boarding process — especially for those with physical challenges.

“They won’t have to go down stairs and they won’t have to go down an elevator,” Monzo said. “They’ll move their way through security straight out into the boarding area.”