Chattanooga airport grapples with soaring passenger traffic

by Mike Pare, Chattanooga Times Free Press

As Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport passenger boardings in 2017 near the half-million mark for the first year ever — up 67 percent since the start of the decade — officials are eyeing the future.

Building more gates for arriving and departing aircraft, raising a parking garage for airport users and adding another security checkpoint line are among ideas that could take off.

The airport is spending $1.1 million on a new plan looking ahead by a decade or so. The aim is to meet unprecedented passenger growth that has fueled four consecutive years of record high traffic at Lovell Field.

A better Chattanooga area business climate, more competitive air fares and added nonstop flights to markets such as New York City and Chicago are among reasons for the soaring traffic numbers, airport officials said.

“We’re already where we were predicted to be in 2027,” said Terry Hart, the airport’s chief executive.