Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is in line for a north side facelift, with about $5.8 million in federal funding headed to rebuild part of the north terminal and add automated passenger exit lanes. Airport officials say the award is aimed at speeding up passenger flow and smoothing baggage movement on MSY's north campus.
Where the money came from
The funding is part of roughly $14.86 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act grants awarded to airports across Louisiana, announced this week by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. Of that total, $5,778,750 is designated for the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Aviation Board, according to Sen. Bill Cassidy's Office. The statewide package is framed as funding terminal upgrades, hangar construction and taxiway rehabilitation to boost airport safety and efficiency.
What the grant will pay for
The largest New Orleans award will go toward reconstructing the existing north terminal and installing automated passenger exit lanes so people and bags can move through the facility more quickly and with fewer choke points. On top of that, there is a separate $1,875,000 grant to upgrade 22,000 square feet of the north terminal for concessions, security and ground transportation facilities, as reported by New Orleans CityBusiness.
How it fits with ongoing work at MSY
Airport leadership has been working through a multi year slate of improvements at MSY that mix federal grants, Airport Improvement Program dollars and airport capital funds. The airport's projects page lists active capital work, including a shuttle connector and baggage system upgrades, which signals that the north campus buildout is one more piece of a broader modernization push, according to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Lawmakers' pitch and local impact
"Louisiana's airports welcome visitors, move goods, and support jobs," Sen. Cassidy said in the funding announcement. He added that the investments "improve safety and efficiency today but also make sure our airports keep up with the demands of the future," according to Sen. Bill Cassidy's Office. City and airport officials have not yet released a construction schedule or any detailed phasing plan that spells out how gate operations might be affected while the work is underway.
The same grant package sends money to a handful of smaller airports around the state, including about $4.23 million for terminal work in Shreveport and awards for facilities in Slidell, Springhill, Bastrop and several other parishes. Local officials say that funding will pay for hangars, taxiway rehabilitation, fuel farm upgrades and other projects intended to support long term airport sustainability, according to New Orleans CityBusiness.
