Boise Airport outlines Concourse A plan, runway closure and traffic growth; Spirit to leave market after October

Boise Airport leadership updated the Airport Commission Sept. 3 on capital projects, operational impacts and traffic growth while notifying commissioners that Spirit Airlines has told the airport it intends to cease Boise service after October 2025.

Rebecca Hupp, who delivered the monthly staff report, said the commission approved a contract at city council in August for a construction-manager/general-contractor “not to exceed” $700,000,000 to lead phases of Concourse A development. Hupp said design activities are next, with schematic design to cover Concourse A, the baggage system, a central utility plant and terminal improvements; the procurement team will next establish roles and a RACI matrix and a risk-mitigation plan.

Hupp said Runway 10L/28R is closed for apron reconstruction because the work impinges on the safety area. Other projects include ongoing work at the consolidated rental-car facility — elevator installation, mechanical rough-ins and ramp work through Level 6 — and the employee walkway under construction. She told commissioners ConRAC employee routing will be temporarily longer but the work is on schedule for completion in November.

The airport opened a first phase of a new concessions program that includes Tree Fort outpost, Idaho Taphouse, Waffle Me Up, Tourist Flights and Bites on Concourse C, and later-rollout vendors such as Pizza Hut, Blue Sky Bagels and Protein Bar and Kitchen. Hupp said retail revenue is down because some stores have been temporarily closed for construction.

Hupp reported July 2025 passenger volumes were 3% higher than July 2024 and said year-to-date passenger growth is 7%, ahead of the FAA’s 30-year terminal-area forecast. “We fully expect that we will exceed 5,000,000 passengers in 2025,” she said.

On airline relations, Hupp said the airport’s airlines approved a one-year extension to the airline use and lease agreement so design and cost estimates for Concourse A can be refined before a longer-term deal is negotiated.

Hupp briefed commissioners that Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy and had notified the airport verbally that it would stop Boise service after October; she said Spirit represented less than 2% of Boise’s market share and staff was monitoring receivables.

Commissioners briefly discussed marking the airport’s projected five-millionth passenger with an event; Hupp said staff can track throughput through the security checkpoint and will plan outreach. Other questions focused on timing of construction on the terminal roadway and coordination with traffic studies. Hupp also commended staff who ran the federally required triennial exercise last month and noted plans for an after-action review.

The commission did not take any formal votes tied to capital spending at the meeting; commissioners received the report and asked staff to return with additional detail as projects progress.