{"id":445728,"date":"2026-11-03T03:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T03:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/445728\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T03:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T03:04:09","slug":"rsw-previews-concourse-e-as-1-billion-expansion-enters-final-year-of-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/445728\/","title":{"rendered":"RSW previews Concourse E as $1 billion expansion enters final year of construction"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Southwest Florida International Airport invited members of local media outlets to walk through its work-in-progress $1 billion expansion Thursday. Completion of the 14-gate concourse is about a year away. PHOTO
\nBY JACK PENNEY<\/p>\n

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Southwest Florida International Airport invited members of local media outlets to walk through its work-in-progress $1 billion expansion Thursday. Completion of the 14-gate concourse is about a year away. PHOTO
\nBY JACK PENNEY<\/p>\n

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Southwest Florida International Airport invited members of local media outlets to walk through its work-in-progress $1 billion expansion Thursday. Completion of the 14-gate concourse is about a year away. PHOTO
\nBY JACK PENNEY<\/p>\n

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Southwest Florida International Airport showcased progress on Concourse E to the media on Thursday. <\/p>\n

According to Stephen Hennigan, CEO and executive director of Southwest Florida International Airport, the influx of traffic in the Southwest Florida region prompted the $1 billion 14-gate expansion. <\/p>\n

\u200b\u201dI think this project and the growth at our airport really shows the state of our region, all of Southwest Florida,\u201d Hennigan said. \u201cIt\u2019s the businesses that are coming here. It\u2019s the people that want to vacation here. This facility is that conduit between all of those people, not only in the United States, but globally. I think it shows not only that people want to come here, but our airline partners want to be a part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the walkthrough, Hennigan noted the new addition won\u2019t differ stylistically from the existing three concourses.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the facility that we\u2019re in now will have a similar look over there,\u201d Hennigan said. \u201cObviously, it\u2019ll be 20 years younger and brand new, but one of the things we wanted to really keep was that look and feel, as much as we could, while also updating everything in that process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concourse E will have a TSA Checkpoint with up to nine lanes as well as access to all other concourses (B, C and D) once finished. E will also introduce a dedicated club for United Airlines.<\/p>\n

\u200bAlong with the expansion project, existing concourses have received renovations. <\/p>\n

\u200b\u201dWith nothing pre-security, because we closed Shula\u2019s to do this project, we wanted to bring something back as quickly as we could, which is also why we\u2019re done with all the refresh of our concessions on B and D, as well,\u201d Hennigan said. \u201cThe only one that will be remaining would be C.\u201d<\/p>\n

The physical growth directly answers unprecedented travel demand across Southwest Florida. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a record March a couple months ago, 1.5 million passengers,\u201d Hennigan said. \u201cIn October, we had a million seats. You know, it\u2019s almost November. We\u2019ll have a million and a quarter seats and, in December, we\u2019ll have a million and a half seats. So there\u2019s an opportunity for a million and a half people in December to come to our airport. Now, that\u2019s important with the growth, because we know that there\u2019s more, but we\u2019re limited right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bEven with the massive expansion, Hennigan emphasized that RSW is focused on retaining the convenience travelers appreciate.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201dMost of our passengers fly through a large airport, which is vastly different than our size and scope,\u201d Hennigan said. \u201cThere\u2019s not many airports that you can park right across the way, get your rental car right across the way; you don\u2019t have to take a bus to it, you can come right here. So at the end of the day, we want to be that airport that is large enough to serve the needs of our community and those who want to visit us while also maintaining that flexibility and ease of access and that guest experience that you might lose at other airports.\u201d<\/p>\n

With room to expand to 19 total gates, Hennigan projects the concourse will open in late 2027. \u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cShell\u2019s done,\u201d Hennigan said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s a year of finish work. All the detail work starts now.\u201d<\/p>\n


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