GARDEN CITY — The front doors of Garden City Regional Airport’s new terminal howl in high winds, providing a spooky soundtrack during blustery autumn days.
The airport’s director, Rachelle Powell, said that’s one of a few kinks workers will smooth out as airport employees prepare for holiday travel season at the recently constructed terminal building. Kansas Reflector received a tour of the new terminal earlier in October.
The original airport terminal was built in 1959 to serve passengers in southwest Kansas, as well as southeast Colorado and the Oklahoma-Texas panhandles. It was demolished in September. The next phase included building a new terminal featuring an in-house restaurant facility, updated check-in counter, revamped departure gate and restyled waiting lounges.
Passengers can fly from Garden City to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, via American Airlines flights serviced twice daily on a 65-seat jet. Reservations can be made online at www.aa.com. Additionally, the airport receives a Boeing 737 from Harrah’s Casinos that charters flights to Laughlin, Nev., for people to gamble.
“The reaction from the community following the opening of Phase 1 has been very positive,” Garden City city manager Matt Allen said. “This is a very large, high-profile project for our city.”
The $31 million project was funded partly through a sales tax measure passed by Garden City voters in November 2021. Allen said voters approved a .15% sales tax bump for 15 years to help pay off about $9 million worth of construction. Additionally, city officials received roughly $22 million in federal funds, both from the Federal Aviation Administration and the CARES Act. Kansas City-based architecture firm HNTB and Crossland Construction of Garden City were chosen to design and build the project.
Powell said a total commercial ridership of about 59,000 people last year, both departing and arriving, warranted a new terminal.
“All the research we did, … FAA forecast data models and everything, supported the new airport,” Powell said.
City officials also realized demand had outgrown the 1959 terminal. City commissioners placed a high priority on upgrading facilities “to be more reflective of the service the airport provides to western Kansas and the five-state region,” Allen said.
Powell said about 28,000 people are forecast to fly out of GCK Regional by the end of the year. Airport ridership has grown from 18,375 departing passengers in 2018 to 29,186 in 2022.
Phase 2 of construction is underway and includes a second departure gate, full restrooms for arrivals, a service animal relief area, a luggage carousel and rental car booths. The arrival and departure lounges were expanded to accommodate larger groups.
“One unique thing about western Kansas airports is you don’t just fly out by yourself,” Powell said. “Your mom and dad and sister and aunt all send you away, so we wanted to accommodate that space for some of our people sending their loved ones off or coming to greet them.”
Powell is still waiting for a full body imaging scanner provided by the Transportation Safety Administration to complete the check-in area. She anticipates the second phase of work to be completed by mid-2024. That schedule gives city officials time to review proposals for leasing restaurant space inside the terminal. The former airport building housed Napoli’s Italian Restaurant for more than a decade before the restaurant’s owners moved to a location in Garden City last year.
On March 23, 2022, Napoli’s owners posted to Facebook: “Come and enjoy peaceful dining at the airport you only have 3 more weeks out here to enjoy this atmosphere because we will be closing down on April 16.”
The restaurant space was first to be demolished. Napoli’s is now located at 2204 East Kansas Ave. #5 in Garden City.
Proposals for the new airport restaurant must include a menu, hours of operation, plus rent and catering information. Applications can be filed at the City of Garden City website.