A major announcement came from the Williamsport Regional Airport Thursday afternoon. The airport will get a total makeover worth $13 million!
The Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority announced the terminal building will be replaced with a building twice the size of the current facility. There are also plans for a new air traffic control tower.
Robert Schanbacher lives in Cogan Station and is a frequent flyer. His airport of choice is the Williamsport Regional Airport.
"It's a big advantage to be able to fly and get in to Philadelphia rather than drive," said Schanbacher.
Schanbacher and other passengers are in luck. The Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority announced plans to renovate the facility. Mark Murawski is a chair of the authority, and he said the current terminal building and the air traffic control tower will be replaced with new ones. He said the terminal building is 65 years old.
"It has a lot of aging infrastructure in it, like bad plumbing, electrical, the roof. We have limited space to process passengers," said Murawski.
The new terminal is going to be built right next to where the current one sits. Officials said once the new terminal is finished, the original will be torn down and turned into a parking lot.
Murawski said US Airways is the only airline to fly in and out of Williamsport. The airport authority is in the process of recruiting other airlines.
"Modern airport that has modern facilities. A lot of competition to keep airfares low here will be essential. Without a new building we can't accomplish much of that," said Murawski.
The expansion is good news for frequent flyers.
"It's going to bring greater access to us for air flight and it will make it simple to get connections out of Williamsport," said Schanbacher.
Airport officials said the project will cost around $13 million, and they are in the process of securing state and federal grant money. The new terminal is expected to be open by the end of 2013.