Texarkana Airport on Flight Path for Growth
Published Mar 16, 2009
Not one to sit by and wait for growth to come to it, the Texarkana Regional Airport is the midst of major construction projects that will secure its future as a travel hub for the entire region.
The airport’s operation is complicated somewhat by its location, which straddles two city and state lines. But that geography also means assistance from multiple sources, which is helping a current growth scenario that includes the siting of a new terminal and an agreement with Amtrak for rail-service connectivity, says Stephen Luebbert, director.
American Eagle operates three daily flights from the airport to Dallas-Fort Worth, and Luebbert anticipates additional service.
“We’re running full jets out of here and they’ll need more flights to keep up with demand,” he says.
Increasing passenger volume is also a major factor behind the new terminal, which is a must-have for an airport that’s 90 years old.
“The terminal we have now was built in 1959, and we’ve expanded it to death,” Luebbert says. “Now we’re building on the south side of the airport, and we hope to open there in 2013 and work it in with the new roads and interchange that are going in down there with I-49 and the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce’s new industrial park.”
The new terminal also will benefit from train service, as the airport is in the process of forging an agreement that would shuttle passengers from the terminal to a new train platform nearby. The airport is working with the Union Pacific railroad, which owns the tracks, to make that happen, Luebbert says, which would make the airport a truly multimodal facility.
“This area is really spring-loaded to grow, and we want to not only be a contributor to that growth but to benefit from it as well,” he says. “We’re trying to get ahead of the demand and get this new terminal done.”
Story by Joe Morris
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