Apr 19, 2007

New concourse adds capacity at Blue Grass AirportBy Jennifer HewlettKentucky.com

Blue Grass Airport is now able to handle a lot more planes and people, thanks to a $16.9 million addition to the terminal.

The airport’s new Concourse B — which features six additional passenger boarding gates, jet bridges for three of those gates and a lot of seating for waiting passengers — officially opens today.

And airport Executive Director Michael Gobb couldn’t be more excited. He wore a big smile yesterday as he talked about every little detail of the new facility, from its special “lookout” alcove where people can watch planes taking off and landing, to the solid and translucent canopies hanging from its ceiling.

“This six-gate addition should hold us for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said while taking visitors on a tour.

Construction of the new concourse, which includes a 26,400-square-foot upper level for passengers and an 11,477-square-foot lower level for cargo loading operations, began in July 2005.

The airport is seeking proposals for two retail businesses for the new concourse, probably a food-sales business and a gift shop, Gobb said.

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