If Memphis International Airport seems outdated, that’s because it is.
The airport’s main terminal, Terminal B, has not been modernized since it opened in 1963. Its neighboring Terminal A, built in 1974, has been reduced to overflow operations since 2022. But Memphis Airport is about to undergo one of its biggest renovations – a $650 million modernization project.
The airport’s new look features newly designed passenger boarding and disembarkation areas, improved amenities at the check-in gates, and a significantly modernized security and terminal area.
“More than two years ago, Memphis International Airport reinvented the Memphis travel experience with the launch of our modernized concourse. Now we are continuing that momentum with the launch of our largest project yet, designed to enhance our travelers’ experience and support the long-term growth of our airport,” said Terry Blue, president and CEO of the Memphis and Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA), in a statement.
By comparison, when the terminal opened in the 1960s, the airport (then known as Memphis Metropolitan Airport) cost $5.5 million to build. The airport welcomed FedEx in 1973 and has since become the country’s busiest cargo airport and the second-busiest in the world (behind Hong Kong). Memphis’ passenger traffic has always been second in comparison, however, and the ambitious modernization project is a big step toward improving accommodations for travelers.
In February, Memphis International Airport received $16,135,955 in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The funds are part of the federal Airport Infrastructure Grants program. The airport has received over $49 million through the grant program since 2022.
Glen Thomas, MSCAA communications director, said the majority of the $650 million renovation will be funded through federal and state grants, municipal bonds and passenger facility fees (PCF). The PCF program is overseen by the FAA for FAA-approved projects and is common practice in funding airport renovations, Thomas said.
The aim of the multi-year renovation is to modernise the airport, in particular the terminals, security and check-in areas and the traffic areas. The latter form the first step of the project. The renovation and modernisation work will be completed in its entirety (in three phases) in 2030.
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Thomas said the first phase will begin in the coming weeks on the commercial transportation lanes, which will involve moving the Uber/Lyft areas on the second floor of the terminal area to the lower levels near the baggage and claim areas. This outer travel area will also be modified for seismic activity. The initial improvements and relocation of the Uber/Lyft pickup and commercial drop-off areas will take less than six months, Thomas said.
Once completed, the next goal is to convert the upper traffic area to a four-lane area. The current design calls for four lanes divided into two traffic lanes and a pedestrian median in the middle of those parallel lanes. The seismic improvements and traffic changes were outlined in the project’s master plan. On July 18, the Memphis and Shelby County Airport Authority Board of Commissioners approved the first phase of the project, which includes the demolition of Terminal A.
The conversion to four lanes in the terminal’s outer travel area (and current exit location) is expected to begin in 2025. Once completed, the terminal’s main entrance will be lengthened compared to its current location, and escalators will be moved up and closer to Terminal B’s current main entrance, Thomas said.
Once work on the lanes is completed, major construction will begin on Terminals A and B. Terminal A, built in 1974, will be used as a pre-construction area for improvements to Terminal B. The long-term goal is to redevelop the 50-year-old terminal into a new rental car center (referred to as the Consolidated Rental Car Center in the master plan).
In addition, the terminal will house the MSCAA administrative offices and a new baggage screening area.
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Demolition and preparation work on Terminal A, valued at $8.4 million, will begin in August.
This baggage screening area will be an extension of an improved security and check-in area in Terminal B. The current funnel system into the security and screening area will remain in Terminal B, but passenger flow between check-in and security will be significantly improved, Thomas said. Currently, the airport’s three largest airlines, American, Delta and Southwest, have their respective passenger check-in areas in Terminal B. The trio of airlines account for 75% of all passenger traffic at Memphis International Airport, Thomas said.
Thomas said the terminal needs significantly more space to accommodate increasing travel demands and the goal is to speed up the check-in process for passengers. Since most passengers want to get through security and into the concourse as quickly as possible, the possible establishment of restaurants and retail centers near the check-in gates is still the subject of ongoing discussions, Thomas said.
Construction on Terminal B will not begin until 2026, with a tentative completion date of 2030. The project is another commitment to bringing the airport into the 21st century. In 2018, the airport updated its master plan and completed the $245 million renovation of Concourse B in 2022. That same year, Memphis International Airport opened its $300 million de-icing facility.
In 2023, the airport recorded a record 4.79 million departing and arriving passengers, a 10% increase in the total number of arriving and departing passengers compared to 2022. The airport currently serves 33 destinations (32 domestic and one international) with 70 to 90 daily flights.
Neil Strebig is a journalist at The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected]901-426-0679 or via X:@neilStrebig.
