Exciting growth and new openings are underway at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. In August the airport welcomed its first wine bar, Vino Volo, in Concourse C — the terminal serving American Airlines, JetBlue and international flights. Passenger traffic has surged recently, driven largely by the addition of several low-fare carriers such as Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines.
Spirit Airlines, based in Florida, introduced three new year-round routes in May: nonstop service to Baltimore (BWI), Cleveland (CLE) and Orlando (MCO). The airline will expand further in November with four additional nonstop flights, adding Boston (BOS), Newark (EWR), Tampa (TPA) and Minneapolis (MSP) to its New Orleans schedule.
Also in May, Condor Airlines launched seasonal flights between Frankfurt (FRA) and New Orleans, marking the first direct service between Europe and the city since transatlantic flights were suspended after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Earlier in the spring, British Airways began operating four weekly nonstop flights from London (LHR) to Louis Armstrong, with plans to increase service to five days a week in November. Southwest Airlines also introduced nonstop service from New Orleans to Raleigh–Durham (RDU) and Columbus (CMH), expanding domestic connectivity.
Ground transportation options have also improved: Lyft began airport operations in July and is now located in the ground transportation area on the arrivals level.
In August the Federal Aviation Administration announced Airport Improvement Program grants totaling $282.6 million to 67 airports across 29 states. As part of this program, Louis Armstrong is slated to receive $26.1 million in combined AIP and discretionary funding to support construction of its new terminal.
The airport is in the midst of a nearly $1 billion terminal redevelopment, currently under construction and scheduled to open in early 2019. The project carries a larger budget and a later completion date than originally planned because five additional gates and more terminal space were added to the scope. Those enhancements respond to strong passenger growth: in 2016 the airport handled more than 11.1 million travelers, the highest total in its seven-decade history.
Departing passenger numbers grew at twice the pace officials forecast in 2016. By 2019 the airport expects passenger departures to be about 18 percent higher than projections made in 2013, the year the terminal project was first proposed.
The new 972,000-square-foot terminal will include 35 additional gates, a 2,190-space parking garage, a central utility plant and an expanded ground transportation area, designed to improve passenger flow and support future growth.
On the state level, Louisiana refinanced $377 million in gasoline and fuel taxes in August, unlocking more than $54 million for infrastructure projects. State Treasurer Ron Henson said the savings are intended for the TIMED infrastructure program, which targets widening 536 miles of state highways and maintaining and improving three major bridges, the Port of New Orleans and Louis Armstrong International Airport.