A $787.4 million TPA airside D project which was halted due to the pandemic in 2020 will now restart construction work at the Tampa International Airport. Officials of TPA are looking forward to building the airport’s fifth airside terminal, as part of TPA’s plan to increase the total number of gates at the airport from 56 to 75 by 2037. At present, the airport has four air sides which are known as A, C, E and F.
Pete Ricondo, a TPA Airport adviser and other associates worked on reassessing the airport’s master plan for the TPA airside D project, after which the findings were shared with the aviation authority board. The initial construction cost for the project rose from $690 million to an estimated $787.4 million, and the delivery date has also been pushed forward from 2024 to the fall of 2027.
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TPA officials have plans of recommending the new airside terminal to be included in the 2023 Capital Improvement Program, and the board will vote by September.
Design plans for the TPA airside D project
The TPA airside D project will implement a hub-and-spoke design and build a new 16-gate Terminal D on a 563,000 square feet site, which is presently serving as a passenger plane parking section and a hardstand for cargo giants such as UPS and Amazon.
The new terminal will replace the hardstand, located on the north of airside C, and the existing space will be transformed to include a standard Transportation Security Agency screening workspace, the latest technology for advertising, room for concessions and an outdoor terrace.
John Tiliacos, the TPA executive director of operations, also mentioned that completing the TPA airside D project, would offer greater operational flexibility, and also give the airport more breathing room to reroute flights, which might be necessary due to severe weather conditions. Tiliacos referred to a similar incident in May, when the Federal Aviation Administration diverted 22 flights from Miami and Fort Lauderdale. He pointed out that the majority of them were international flights and the TPA has 5 international flight gates at present.
