© Alain McLaughlin
An unused part of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will be renovated as part of a $250 million development plan. Mike McCarron, an airport spokesman, explained that Terminal 2 Boarding Area D in the old international terminal would be updated to help SFO cope with increasing air travel, especially from low-cost carriers.
Though the renovations are about a year away, McCarron said they should increase Terminal 2’s capacity from 10 to 14 gates, and while the renovation plans are geared towards international travel, it is likely that budget airlines will also place increasing demand on airport services.
In a staff report, John Martin, Airport Director, wrote: “The new low-cost carriers at SFO indicate that they plan for very aggressive growth within the next two to three years.
“This … growth, coupled with the continued increase in international air traffic, will impact the airport’s ability to accommodate the anticipated increased flight activity in the International Terminal, causing SFO to be gate-constrained in 2010.”
JetBlue, Virgin America, and Southwest Airlines all recently began service at SFO, and with expanding services, will require more airport space.
“I know we are interested in additional gates at SFO,” Whitney Eikhinger, Southwest Spokeswoman, said.
© Adfero Ltd
