An Allegiant Air flight bound for Las Vegas departs from the Bellingham International Airport at 11:15 a.m. on March 11, 2010. This particular plane is an MD-80, which is the largest plane that the Bellingham International Airport can handle regularly, said Airport Operations Specialist Joe Goetz. If the airport ran larger planes regularly without re-constructing the runway, it would eventually crumble, Goetz said. — Photo by Carey Rose
Construction will begin in May at the Bellingham International Airport to support larger planes and accommodate the increasing traffic at the facility. Construction will be on both the runway and terminal during this project, with closures expected.
These changes will open the door for companies to fly larger planes, with the ability to hold more passengers, through Bellingham.
Allegiant Air recently announced that in late 2010, the company will begin adding six 200-passenger 757 jets to their fleet.
Construction at the airport will begin in May and last through September. Night closures are expected from midnight to 5 a.m. while crews begin working on the $24 million project. A complete closure of the facility will happen for three weeks in September during the time of Sept. 1 to Sept. 21.
During the closure, no planes will be arriving or departing from the airport. Daniel Zenk, Airport Manager, said passengers should contact airlines directly to see if arrangements have been made for travel during that time.
Passengers won’t be the only ones affected by the closure. Businesses around the airport will have to find alternate modes of transportation for shipments during the closure.
Zenk said, for example, FedEx will not be able to fly their cargo plane from the airport, so those goods will need to be transported through alternate means.
The runway won’t be the only aspect of the airport receiving a facelift, as the terminal will be undergoing construction as well to accommodate the increasing number of passengers.
Zenk said the terminal currently operates at more than three times the capacity the terminal can handle.
Over the next seven years, Zenk said additions will be made to the terminal in order to accommodate the growing number of people using the airport, with expansions planned for the boarding gate, baggage claim and ticket counters.
Halibut Henry’s, a store inside the terminal that sells food, coffee and other amenities, plans on expanding during construction. Katia Le Vain, an employee at Halibut Henry’s, said plans include adding a café and opening a bar in the terminal during the process of construction.
Jenna Schwartz, a Holland America Line employee and regular at the airport, said she’s not worried about the construction.
“Honestly, I don’t think it will be too much of an inconvenience,” Schwartz said. “I can drive an hour to Seattle if I need to.”
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