Officials at Lambert have today reached an important milestone with regard to the future of the airport.

The majority of airline partners approved a third amendment to their lease, which provides $650 million for additional projects, including the proposed consolidated terminal design.

“We are pleased that our airline partners have committed to this important next phase of our airport’s Consolidated Terminal Program,” said Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, STL airport director, in a press release.

The $650 million will cover the cost of fully designing STL’s proposed consolidated terminal and will also enable several other projects critical to the eventual construction of a consolidated terminal.

These projects include, but are not limited to, the temporary passenger gates required during construction of a consolidated terminal, a new garage design for possible placement across from the proposed consolidated terminal, the relocation of various airport service facilities, and the costs of a program management team.

Currently, STL is moving forward with projects that were ratified in a separate vote last year. Key ongoing projects include the design of the new Central Utility Plant (CUP), the design of the West Deicing Pad, and the design of the airport’s new Airfield Maintenance Facility, which is well underway. STL expects to begin construction on some portions of these projects in mid-2025.