San Antonio International Airport’s Improvement Projects Move Forward

Published on May 18, 2023

San Antonio (May 18, 2023) – A new Ground Load Facility (GLF) and other improvement projects moved forward today for San Antonio International Airport (SAT). The City Council approved an ordinance Thursday allowing the Aviation Director to negotiate and execute a Design-Build services contract with Hensel Phelps Construction Co. for the GLF in Terminal A to construct additional gates to support SAT’s growing air service needs.

“We’re excited to get started on the GLF,” said Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports, San Antonio Airport System. “This is a greatly needed step in our expansion. It will bring more flight options for domestic and international travel as we continue to see a high demand for that.”

Construction on enabling projects, such as relocating an existing fence, foundation, site work and utilities will begin this summer. Work on the GLF itself is slated to start in early 2024 with a completion date of March 2025.

The City Council awarded a construction contract to Cram Roofing Company for the Terminal A Roof Recover project, which will provide additional energy efficiency to the terminal facility and extends the life of the roof. The elected body also approved a 2-year funding agreement for modernization upgrades to the lower-level controls for the Baggage Handling System (BHS). The funding agreement authorized the San Antonio Airline Consortium, which manages and maintains the BHS on behalf of the Aviation Department, to make critical improvements and replace the aging infrastructure of the BHS. Last October, the Consortium completed work on the upper-level controls.

The City Council also approved a Delegation of Authority ordinance (under Texas Governmental Codes 2269 and 2254), which authorizes the City Manager to approve individual change orders and amendments for contracts related to SAT’s Strategic Development Plan (SDP).

“This authorization is critical to managing the financial risk associated with a large capital program such as the SDP,“ Saenz said. “We want to be as efficient as possible with the SDP, which includes the Terminal Development Program. This helps us stay on track to have our newest terminal completed by mid-2028.”

For more information about SAT, please visit the airport’s website.