American Airlines will serve as the main carrier for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport's planned West Terminal, a project that would add the airport's first new terminal building since Terminal 4 opened in 1990. Phoenix Sky Harbor says the facility will be built on the airport's west side between Terminal 3 and Taxiway U and is targeted to open in late 2033. The airport says the final cost has not been determined but could be around $4.5 billion, according to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego called American Airlines the anchor tenant for the West Terminal, according to AZ Family. American is already Sky Harbor's largest carrier by total passenger traffic, carrying more than 20 million customers through the airport each year, the outlet reports. Sky Harbor said it selected American for the anchor role after researching the airport's operational needs and costs.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said Phoenix is a critical part of the airline's network and that American is excited to continue investing in the airport and the region's future. Gallego said the West Terminal will support economic growth, passenger service, and the needs of a growing community.
A Long Runway Before Groundbreaking
Sky Harbor announced plans for the West Terminal in 2024, but the airport's projected schedule leaves several years for planning before construction. Design procurement is expected to begin in 2027, with construction potentially starting in late 2029 and the terminal opening around 2033, according to the same report.
The growth behind the project
Official airport records provide context for why Sky Harbor is planning another terminal. A 2016 City of Phoenix Aviation Department annual report said the airport had grown from seven million annual passengers when Terminal 3 opened in 1979 to more than 40 million passengers annually, growth that prompted a Terminal 3 modernization project. Sky Harbor's official statistics later recorded 46,288,337 passengers and 438,891 total operations in 2019, according to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The West Terminal's design and gate count remain unsettled, and the airport has not finalized the project's cost. Sky Harbor says the facility could cost about $4.5 billion, while the current plan relies on passenger facility charges, bonds and airport funding rather than taxpayer dollars.
Design details and the number of gates for the West Terminal are still being determined, the report notes. American Airlines is expected to eventually relocate from its current home in Terminal 4, which opened in 1990, to the new building once it's ready.
Funding Without New Taxes
Sky Harbor officials say the West Terminal will be financed through passenger facility charges, bonds and airport funding rather than taxpayer dollars, the station reports. The financing plan is intended to support a project that would accommodate future passenger demand and improve the travel experience.
In the meantime, the airport isn't waiting around. Sky Harbor is investing millions to improve and modernize Terminal 4 even as the West Terminal moves through planning, a sign that officials expect passenger demand to keep climbing well before any new gates open.
