Crews work at the construction site of Terminal C at the San Antonio International Airport. San Antonio’s City Council voted Thursday to approve a $200 million contract to renovate terminals A and B, also part of efforts to upgrade and modernize the airport.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio’s City Council on Thursday approved a $220.5 million contract to renovate the two existing terminals at San Antonio International Airport — a project which, along with the ongoing $1.7 billion construction of a third terminal, is designed to lift the airport into the big leagues.
Manhattan-Joeris, a joint venture between the local firm Joeris and the Florida-based Manhattan Construction Group, won the contract after prevailing against three other companies in a year-long bidding process. The council approved the contract on its consent agenda without discussion.
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The renovations to the 378,524-square-foot Terminal A, built in 1984, and the 231,753-square-foot Terminal B, built in 2010, will be financed by issuing bonds that will be paid off with revenue generated by the airport.
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The city, which owns and operates the airport, doesn’t appear to have said when the renovation work is expected to commence and finish. The city and airport also have not released detailed plans for what the renovations will look like.
The contract with Manhattan-Joeris is of a type known as “construction manager at risk.” The company hired through such a contract helps design the project, along with overseeing the construction. As the name implies, the company assumes much of the risk of cost overruns.
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Airport spokesperson Tonya Hope didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
According to city documents, the renovations will reconfigure the ticket lobby for Terminal A and expand that terminal’s security checkpoint, concessions area and restrooms. The number of gates will be reduced to create more room for passengers. That terminal’s baggage handling system will be rebuilt; decorative features such as carpeting, paint, ceilings and lighting could be upgraded.
Terminal B will be spruced up with upgrades to its furniture, equipment and fixtures, according to the agenda of Thursday’s council meeting. It will receive “compliance upgrades” for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A new passenger corridor will be built connecting terminals A and B, according to the council agenda.
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Manhattan-Joeris won the contract over San Antonio companies Austin Commercial LP and Skanska USA Building Inc. and Structure Tone Southwest LLC, of Dallas.
The renovations are intended to modernize the terminals and improve passenger experience, according to a slide presentation from Tim O’Krongley, the airport’s deputy director.
“This is the exact kind of economic driver that we want to see for San Antonio,” said District 9 City Councilwoman Misty Spears, whose district includes the airport. “The airport really is the first thing people see and the last thing people see when they visit our city.”
Terminal A, in particular, has long been seen as in need of a makeover. It has one of the narrowest concourses among major U.S. airports, resulting in bottlenecks of travelers during peak times, and its electrical system and heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system are outdated.
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The relatively poor state of Terminal A led Southwest Airlines to sue the airport and director Jesus Saenz in 2024, claiming Saenz had promised the airline would have gates in Terminal C, but then sought to confine the airline to Terminal A.
The lawsuit was settled in May, with the city agreeing to grant Southwest gates in Terminals B and C — leaving open the question of which airline will use the gates in Terminal A after the renovation.
Earlier this year, the airport expanded Terminal A with a $95 million, 40,000-square-foot ground load facility, featuring more than 200 seats with charging stations and a restaurant operated by local chef Johnny Hernandez. The new facility has three gates, but can be expanded to five.
The airport broke ground in December on the 850,000-square foot Terminal C, which will be larger than the airport’s two existing terminals combined. It will connect to the existing Terminal B and is set to open in 2028.
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The new terminal, being constructed by Colorado-based Hensel Phelps, will feature up to 17 gates and eight security lanes; the city eventually plans to increase that number to a dozen.
Express-News reporter Megan Rodriguez contributed to this report.