CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Chattanooga Airport has officially announced plans for its new Global Entry Center.

“On Monday, our board of directors approved an agreement with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to create a 1000-square-foot space here in the terminal building to house a Global Entry Enrollment Center,” said April Cameron, president and CEO of Chattanooga Airport.

Global Entry provides international air travelers with expedited security screening when entering the United States.

Cameron believes Global Entry is great for Chattanooga’s growth.

“We believe it will bring a lot of people to our airport,” Cameron said. “We believe it will bring a lot of people to the community. By having this registration center here in Chattanooga, we really believe it will increase the awareness of our airport and the amenities that we offer.”

The Global Entry office is located near the baggage claim area in the airport.

Cameron is confident that entering the global market will also generate interest among those who fly to Chattanooga.

“Having customs here at the airport will make it easier for all international flights, whether they are private, they have to go through customs. Having them here at the airport will speed things up,” Cameron said.

And with the addition of Global Entry, Cameron is excited about the future of Chattanooga Airport.

“We expect that growth to continue, especially with this LaGuardia service starting in October. Delta and American are increasing seating capacity in the market. With the new Las Vegas service, we have gained Allegiant. So everyone is increasing seating capacity and we believe that will continue to drive growth at our airport,” Cameron concluded.