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Piedmont Triad airport officials highlight 10,000 on‑airport jobs, Jet Zero project and a multi‑year terminal overhaul
Summary
Airport leaders told Forsyth County commissioners on June 1 that Piedmont Triad International Airport has grown to about 10,000 direct jobs, has attracted roughly $1.2 billion in outside investment in recent years, and plans a phased modernization of concourses with enabling work this year and a three‑plus‑year terminal program; officials also promoted the Jet Zero/blended‑wing project and a June 15 groundbreaking.
Piedmont Triad International Airport officials briefed Forsyth County commissioners on June 1, emphasizing the airport’s role as an aerospace employment center and outlining plans for terminal modernization and new industry projects.
Graham Bennett, president of the airport board, and Kevin Baker, the airport’s executive director, described the airport as an aviation industrial park with about 4,000 acres of land reserved for development. Baker said about 10,000 people now work on the airport site, and that roughly $1.2 billion in outside public and private investment has been announced in recent years.
Officials highlighted two near‑term priorities: a program to modernize the aged concourses (the main terminal has been updated previously but concourses are about 43–44 years old) and a high‑profile aerospace project described as Jet Zero, a blended‑wing aircraft development. Baker said enabling work for concourse modernization would begin with back‑of‑house MEP upgrades and moving more operations to the north concourse in the next two to three months, with visible phased construction ramping up next year and a full program that could take roughly three to three‑and‑a‑half years.
On Jet Zero, airport leaders described a prospective industrial project tied to blended‑wing aircraft that airport and state leaders say could have major employment implications; the briefing referenced an expected June 15 groundbreaking at PTI. Officials cautioned that the project is a startup and will require community training and workforce efforts; they flagged workforce development as the project’s biggest local challenge.
Commissioners asked about the schedule and workforce needs; airport staff said the terminal work and the Jet Zero timeline overlap but are independent programs. Baker stressed that the airport’s role is to provide infrastructure and market the region; airlines decide routes. No funding request to the board was finalized during the briefing, and airport leaders offered to provide more detailed staging and workforce plans as they are finalized.
The airport presentation closed with an invitation to the June 15 event and an offer to keep county leaders informed as design and staging details are finalized.
