Airport authority unveils BNA Vision, growth and expansion plan for Nashville Int. Airport

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) unveiled BNA Vision, a comprehensive plan designed to enable Nashville International Airport (BNA) to accommodate the region’s booming population growth and meet the needs of the airport’s record-breaking passenger increases.

BNA Vision includes expanding parking, concourses and lobby areas, adding new gates, developing a state-of-the-art International Arrivals Building, increasing federal security screening lanes, and the potential for an on-site hotel, among other projects.

Consistent with the airport’s capital improvement budget, the conceptual plan is expected to cost approximately $1 billion and will be phased in over the next five-to-seven years. As with all other airport capital improvement projects, no local tax dollars will be used; rather, funding will come from bonds, federal and state aviation grants, Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs) and other airport funds.

“By 2035, the population of the Greater Nashville Area is expected to surpass 2.5 million people, and Nashville International Airport’s passenger traffic will grow from 12 million today to more than 20 million,” said Rob Wigington, MNAA president and CEO. “We are experiencing this rapid growth firsthand as we set new air passenger records every week, month and year. The projects comprising our BNA Vision are designed to meet the demands of this growth and address everything from international travel, to improved security wait times to more gates, parking and ease of access– all with passenger safety and convenience in mind. We’re excited to share this vision and provide a glimpse of how BNA will transform over the next several years.”

Nashville International Airport has set passenger records for three consecutive years. In the just completed Fiscal Year 2016, BNA surpassed 12.2 million passengers, a nearly 10 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. June 2016 was the biggest single month in BNA history with 1.1 million passengers arriving and departing out of Nashville’s airport.

“With Nashville’s current growth trajectory, the Airport Authority is planning ahead to ensure we continue providing first-rate customer service and top-notch transportation facilities for our region,” said Bobby Joslin, MNAA Board of Commissioners chair. “BNA Vision is a dynamic plan that will transform Nashville International Airport and impact our region’s growth and reputation. This is an exciting time, and together, the future of the airport, like Nashville itself, is limitless.”

BNA Vision is an acceleration and expansion of MNAA’s Master Plan, a comprehensive strategy last updated in 2013 that provides planning and development guidance to address landside and airside facilities and land development considerations.

Precise details of BNA Vision will evolve as individual projects take shape, but the preliminary plan includes:

• Constructing a new parking garage (currently in progress) – A new six-story parking garage south of the existing Short Term Garage with 2,000 spaces (Estimated completion: Fall 2018);
• Constructing an International Arrivals Building – A new state-of-the-art expansion to accommodate the increase of international travelers and set the stage for attracting new nonstop flights to Europe, Asia, Latin America and more (Estimated completion: 2018);
• Expanding the ticketing and baggage claim areas – Additional ticketing counters at the North and South ends of the terminal building and additional baggage claim devices to accommodate the increased passenger traffic;
• Expanding Concourse D – Additional gates to increase capacity to attract new airlines and services, and new retail and dining offerings;
• Expanding Concourse B – Increase the footprint for additional gate capacity, retail and dining options and amenities;
• Constructing the Grand Ole Lobby – This spacious central entrance hall will warmly welcome travelers with natural light and compelling airfield views, while comfortably accommodating airline ticketing, baggage check-in and federal security screening. Queueing for security screening will be consolidated, and additional lanes will minimize wait times and expedite the process;
• Potential for Multi-Modal Transit – A new multi-modal connector to link BNA to future Nashville transit system;
• Constructing an on-site hotel – A 200- to 300-room hotel to provide travelers with easy and convenient lodging; and
• Relocating Donelson Pike – A shift in the road slightly to the east will greatly improve traffic circulation and terminal access.

BNA is currently served by 12 airlines and offers 440 daily flights. Nashville International Airport provides nonstop air service to more than 50 destinations.