Hawaii Governor David Ige has announced plans for a new $1.1 billion Diamond Head Concourse at the Daniel K Inouye International Airport, also known as HNL.
The Diamond Head Concourse is expected to be built over the next ten years, reports World Construction Network. Supplementary projects, including relocation of the employee parking lot and the Wiki-Wiki Baseyard, will be completed before the beginning of the construction on the concourse.
The first pre-design planning phase and an environmental assessment to measure the impacts will be taken up over the next three to four years and construction is scheduled to begin in five years.
The existing Diamond Head Concourse, consisting of six wide-body gates, has served domestic and international flights for nearly 50 years. The 800,000ft2 new Diamond Head Concourse will replace the existing building.
It will have around 14 wide-body gates in initial phase and this will be expandable to 21 gates later.
The concourse will include a new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility with 200,000ft2 and will be able to process 4,000 arriving passengers per hour.
An improved security screening checkpoint and baggage screening facilities for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will also be established.
A new parking area will be constructed for airport employees.
Funding for the project will be provided through concessions and airline revenue.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation Airports Division (HDOT) is self-sustaining and generates its own revenue to pay for construction costs, operating expenses and salaries.
Primary sources of funding will include landing fees, terminal rentals, parking revenue, rental car customer facility charges, passenger facility charges and federal grants.
Ige said: “This is a major investment in the airport, and my administration is committed to improving HNL’s facilities for its passengers, airlines and businesses.
“This project, combined with other airport modernisation projects happening now, will result in more gates, faster processing for international travellers and greater efficiency.”
Airlines Committee of Hawaii co-chair Matt Shelby said: “Under Governor Ige’s leadership, a number of projects are moving along.
“The new Diamond Head Concourse will help ease the current congestion during peak times and provide a much-needed increase in airport capacity that will be necessary over the next decade.”
