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Airport lays out $247 million FY26 budget as terminal design advances
Summary
St. Louis Lambert Airport officials presented a $247 million fiscal year 2026 operating and debt-service budget to the Board of Aldermen budget committee, highlighting airline-negotiated revenues, a $225 million revolving credit line and design-phase work on a potential consolidated terminal.
Rhonda Ham Niebrigi, airport director, and Antonio Strong, deputy director of finance and administration, presented the St. Louis Lambert Airport’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget to the Board of Aldermen’s Budget and Public Employees Committee on May 28.
The airport is proposing a total FY26 budget of $247,000,000, made up of about $162.9 million in operations and maintenance and $84.9 million in debt service. “We do anticipate total airport revenue of 253,200,000.0 for the year,” Antonio Strong told the committee when describing the fund forecast developed with airline partners.
Why it matters: airport leaders said the budget is designed to show fiscal discipline to the airport’s signatory airlines as the city advances design work for a potential consolidated terminal. Strong said the airport is in the design phase and must secure airline approval at 90 percent design to move the project forward.
Most revenue is forecast as airline-generated. Strong told the committee the first three lines of the revenue forecast represent airline revenue negotiated over more than a year with airline partners. Other revenue items include rents from a new Boeing lease and anticipated redevelopment north of the airport, concession growth from recently opened restaurants and a parking-rate increase that took effect April 1. Strong said the airport anticipates a roughly 10 percent increase in concession revenue and an 8.3 percent increase in parking revenue from the prior year.
Key budget details: the airport flagged several specific drivers of change from FY25 to FY26. Operations and maintenance are forecast to rise 5.7 percent and debt service 12.1 percent, producing a combined 7.8 percent increase. The airport reported an overtime increase tied to vacancy coverage — the vacancy rate had fallen from roughly 38–40 percent to about 23 percent but still requires overtime to cover shifts. Strong said the airport’s budgeted headcount is 521 positions for FY26.
Capital and debt: the airport said outstanding debt totals about $733 million and that debt is repaid by airlines that use the airport, not by city taxpayers. The airport closed a $225 million revolving line of credit with PNC Bank to provide interim financing while bonds are issued; Strong said issuing bonds takes approximately six to seven months and the line of credit keeps projects moving.
Operational notes and one-time items: budget increases highlighted included environmental capital assets for a glycol-tank discharge line and higher cleaning costs for fire trucks under new regulations. Software licensing and cyber-protection spending rose as staff added new systems and multifactor authentication. The airport reported a 6.3 percent increase in utility chargebacks and noted one-time decreases where equipment purchases in FY25 reduce FY26 rental or replacement needs.
What’s next: Strong said the airport presented the budget to airlines in March and to the airport commission, which voted on it; the airport now seeks Board of Aldermen approval before beginning the fiscal year on July 1. Committee members did not take formal action during the presentation and deferred questions until the committee reconvened after the full Board meeting.
Ending: committee members praised airport staff for their stewardship and transparency and thanked them for the presentation. No committee votes on the airport budget were recorded at the May 28 meeting.
