First look at the San Antonio International Airport’s new, third terminal

City hopes to have new terminal completed by mid-2028

SAN ANTONIO – In a little over five years, San Antonio travelers could be flying out of a brand-new, third terminal at San Antonio International Airport.

During a Wednesday city council meeting, representatives of two architectural firms, Corgan Associates and Lake Flato, presented conceptual renderings based on designs that are roughly 15 percent completed. See the conceptual renderings in the video below.

The new terminal, which can fit up to 17 new gates, is expected to open in the second quarter of 2028 and would be more than twice as large as Terminal A and more than three times the size of Terminal B.

The airport currently has 27 gates between Terminals A and B.

The third terminal is part of the 20-year strategic development plan for the airport that city council approved in November 2021. The plan also includes adding more gates; extending the largest runway to accommodate longer international flights; re-routing vehicle traffic; central passenger screening; and more parking.

The goal is to grow the airport within its existing footprint to handle more passengers and flights as the city grows.

The entire plan could cost as much as $2.5 billion, and the new terminal alone could be about $1 billion.

The financing plan hasn’t been set out yet, but the city does not plan to use local tax dollars. Instead, it would use airport revenues and pursue federal money, though it would involve the airport taking on debt.

John Dickson was chairman of a committee that provided input for the strategic plan. He says the new terminal is needed to keep up with customer growth and cater to airlines who are “always looking” to put more direct flights to different locations.

“It’s not that ‘we will build it and they will come,’” Dickson said, “but we need to build it so they can come.”

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About the Author:

Garrett Brnger is a reporter with KSAT 12.