Syracuse airport outlines 2040 master plan and $1.1 billion near‑term infrastructure needs

Mike, a representative of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, presented the airport’s 2024 results and a 20‑year master plan, telling the town board the airport handled a record 3 million passengers in 2024, is operating on an approximate $55 million annual budget and is pursuing significant land‑side and air‑side projects to support projected growth.

The airport reported eight carriers offering 29 nonstop destinations, a regional economic impact study estimating roughly $1.8 billion in annual output for its catchment area, and route‑level valuation that places Atlanta as the single most‑valuable nonstop market. The authority said it has identified parking, roadways and a consolidated rental car facility as its most urgent land‑side needs and estimated roughly $1.1 billion in capital needs over the next five years to reach its 2030 targets.

Mike said the airport’s master plan — a geographical vision through 2040 — shows a new cargo facility on the east side, a terminal modernization (a “backwards L” linear design with about 29 gates and two parking garages) and a parallel runway area designed to accommodate advanced air mobility (AAM) and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations. He said the FAA has already received the final concepts and that May 21 would be the last public master‑plan meeting.

On operations, the presenter said Southwest’s exit removed roughly 12% of traffic, but other carriers expanded service and JetBlue’s double‑daily Orlando flights made up much of the gap; United and American also announced capacity additions. The authority emphasized premium seats and business travel as a strong market signal and said that route‑level economic estimates help prioritize recruitment (for example, landing a Seattle nonstop would add an estimated $40 million in annual regional output).

Board members asked operational questions about the proposed passenger arrival and departure curves, how the cargo facility would connect to public roads (Northern Boulevard was shown as a concept), and the timing of runway funding. Mike said the parallel runway concept is not on a commercial‑service timeline and may be a decade or more away; the runway design was driven partly by AAM/UAS planning and a 450‑square‑mile beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight operations area used in partnership with NewAir.

The authority said construction through the next five years will lead to extensive on‑site work — new parking decks (two decks, four stories maximum because of air‑traffic sight‑line constraints), a consolidated rental car facility, and additional surface lots for swing space — and said a parking solution must be in place by 2030 or the airport will face capacity and rate‑base pressure that could affect airlines.

The airport representative also highlighted retail and passenger amenities already opened or planned (Qdoba, Einstein Bros. Bagels, a new gate corner for Delta) and a 24/7 shuttle serving remote lots. He said the authority is working with federal, state and local partners to minimize costs being passed to airlines and to secure funding sources for land‑side projects. No formal town action or vote was taken on the presentation at the meeting.

The authority invited board members to the airport’s May 21 public master‑plan meeting and said staff and consultants would be available to answer more detailed forecasting and design questions there.