Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is planning a $430 million modernization of its domestic passenger terminal and concourses.
The modernization project is aimed at giving the airport domestic terminal a “new, fresh, modern look,” bringing more light into aging concourses with windows and revamping them using some of the same design elements featured in the airport’s newer international terminal.
“It will look like a more modern terminal,” said Hartsfield-Jackson general manager Miguel Southwell.
He said the airport also plans to make the airport atrium “a showcase for smart and sustainable energy,” bringing in plants and greenery.
To pay for the work, the airport plans to seek $450 million in commercial financing and use the bulk of it as bridge financing for the terminal modernization until the airport issues bonds to pay for the work, Southwell said. The commercial financing will soon go before the Atlanta City Council for approval.
The modernization of the domestic terminal and Concourses T, A, B, C and D is expected to take three years to complete. Of the $430 million price tag, $390 million will be paid for with the commercial financing, according to Hartsfield-Jackson chief financial officer Roosevelt Council Jr.
The rest will be covered by funds from the $4.50 passenger facility charge travelers pay for each flight.
The airport is soliciting proposals from companies interested in working on the terminal modernization projects, and is holding a pre-proposal conference for those companies July 7.
The commercial financing will also pay for a $62 million replacement of about half of the airport’s aging jet bridges.
Southwell said the idea is to complete the modernization project without any significant disruption of operations. Airlines will continue to operate their regular flight schedules during the construction, he said.
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