Indianapolis’ new $1.1 billion airport terminal faces at least two nagging functionality issues: inadequate protection during
inclement weather at the second-level passenger drop-off platform and sunlight that floods the ticket lobby, making computer
screens hard to read.
Indianapolis has fared better than some airports in terms of declining revenue, with passengers down
about 10 percent for much of the year and revenue off 16 percent at one point.
One of the first things new airport CEO John Clark said he wanted to do was to squeeze more use—and revenue—out
of the new airport terminal’s Civic Plaza space.
Entertainment planned for December could put airport visitors in a spending mood. Retail sales at the terminal have suffered
this year due in part to a 10 percent drop in passenger traffic, prompting the Airport Authority to search
for ways to boost revenue.
Airport concessionaires stung by a 10-percent drop in passenger traffic have asked the Indianapolis Airport Authority to ease
a policy that was implemented more than 10 years ago to keep prices in line with what consumers pay outside
the airport.
The new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport has seen a 10-percent decline in passengers during its first year.
As an all-too-frequent flier, I’ve had a chance to get the full-love experience of the new airport terminal numerous
times in its first year. The summary is that it’s both tolerable, and I have no choice.
The cash-strapped Indianapolis Airport Authority suddenly can’t look soon enough at developing some of its vast real
estate holdings, including the city’s former passenger terminal. This month, it plans to conduct final contract
negotiations with a firm that would study reuse of the old terminal, adjacent land and other airport holdings.
Locally based Republic Airways Holdings, which earlier this month said it could move up to 400 jobs gained through its
Frontier Airlines acquisition to Indianapolis or Milwaukee, has hinted it may move nearly twice that number to its headquarters
city.
The mammoth facility near Indianapolis International Airport now employs as many people as it did when United Airlines abandoned it
six years ago, but its new tenants are contending with struggles of their own.
Five executives are among seven employees let go by the Indianapolis Airport Authority as part of its efforts to cut expenses
amid declining airport revenue.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority is planning improvements to Gordon Graham Field in Hendricks County, including a runway extension and a second terminal.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority has fired back against a Hebron, Ky.-based contractor that alleged in a lawsuit last December
that the airport operator failed to pay in full on a $14.7 million contract to build aircraft parking spaces.
The recession, coupled with personnel shifts, have grounded the more than $50-million hotel project adjacent to the new terminal.
A suburban Cincinnati construction company known for airport and interstate projects alleges the Indianapolis Airport Authority
has failed to pay on a $14.7 million contract to build aircraft parking spaces.
The new, $1.1 billion terminal at Indianapolis International Airport likely won’t house as many airport employees as the existing
facility. Instead, portions of the terminal are being set aside for their revenue-generating potential.
In the last two months, the Indianapolis Airport Authority board has approved spending at least $850,000 toward grand-opening
parties for the new airport terminal and events in the form of contracts with caterers, event planners and public relations
firms.
The airport authority should not assume a 3-percent growth rate because of the new airport, and the FFA Convention was not
as wildly successful as reported. Mayor Peterson shouldn’t be held out as a good example of a mayor who supports public transportation.
The Indianapolis Airport Authority’s management contract with British firm BAA unceremoniously expired July 15, and authority
officials taking the helm for the first time since 1995 say they’re confident they are prepared to continue to innovate as
they prepare to open a new terminal.
