New at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in 2024: Big improvements for passengers coming soon

Flying out of the smaller of the two commercial airports in metro Phoenix will look a little different in 2024.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in east Mesa plans to start the year by wrapping up two significant projects that will improve airport operations and the passenger experience.

It follows a year of record passenger traffic at Mesa Gateway, overcoming setbacks that included Allegiant Air, its largest carrier by far, operating fewer flights because of pilot shortages.

Mesa Gateway also opened new restaurants, including a location of classic Phoenix restaurant Macayo’s Mexican Food.

The airport’s executive director, J. Brian O’Neill, expects that continued residential and commercial growth in the East Valley will fuel a busy 2024 at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Here’s what he anticipates in the new year.

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Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport's new terminal is set to open

The most significant changes are expected in early 2024 as a $28 million terminal expansion nears completion. The airport received $14.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the terminal work.

The project involves removing a temporary four-gate, 10,000-square-foot concourse and building a permanent five-gate, 30,000-square-foot concourse in its place.

“It really creates an opportunity not only for efficiency, but also increased capacity so that we could welcome additional airlines here and have adequate space so that they could operate efficiently,” O’Neill said.

In addition to five new gates, the new terminal will include a tech lounge, restaurants and shops. The first retailer confirmed for the terminal is First Jet Market, a kiosk featuring grab-and-go foods from local chef Aaron Chamberlin of the metro Phoenix restaurants Oak on Camelback and Ghost Ranch.

A walkway will make getting around the Mesa airport easier

O’Neill also eagerly anticipates the debut of a new enclosed walkway that will connect the ticketing kiosks with the security checkpoint.

Right now, ticketing and security are on opposite sides of the airport building and require walking from one entrance to another. Sometimes, lines for security form outside during less-than-ideal weather conditions.

“If you're waiting to be processed for a security screening at 5 a.m. in January, it can be quite cold,” O’Neill said. “Or, if you're waiting to be processed through security at 4 p.m. in August, it can be quite warm.”

Both the terminal expansion and the walkway are expected to open in February, he said.

Allegiant will add more Mesa Gateway flights this summer

What excites O’Neill the most about the coming year at Gateway Airport is Allegiant Air’s plans to boost its summer flight schedule in Mesa.

Allegiant said its year-over-year summer capacity in Mesa will be 23% higher in 2024. The carrier’s July operations are anticipated to increase by 19.1%.

“It shows you the commitment Allegiant is making in the greater Phoenix market,” O’Neill said.

In summer 2023, labor shortages in the aviation industry forced Allegiant to adjust its flight schedules and reallocate resources where demand was highest, and several routes in Mesa were affected, according to Allegiant. Service will be restored for summer 2024.

“We are thrilled to offer travelers more vacation options through Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in 2024,” Allegiant spokesman Andrew Porello said. “We’ve been able to restore previously reduced capacity in existing markets and have also introduced four new destinations to our summer schedule.”

Allegiant’s route to Portland, Oregon, via Gateway Airport, introduced in November, is the highest profile of the new routes the carrier will offer for the summer. Three other routes are not new to Mesa, but are newly offered for summer flights: Moline, Illinois; Minot, North Dakota; and St. Cloud, Minnesota.

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O’Neill thinks Allegiant’s commitment to investing in Mesa and the East Valley is because of residential and commercial growth in the region in recent years; for example, Mesa experienced double-digit population growth since the 2010 census.

He said Allegiant wants to remain a dominant player at the airport, even as other airlines express interest in establishing service there.

“Our story just keeps getting stronger and stronger,” he said. “And I think what Allegiant is trying to do is they're trying to fortify their presence here. They feel that Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport is an Allegiant airport … air travelers are used to using Allegiant to get to where they need to go.”

Seeking to add daily flights at the Mesa airport

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport's accomplishments have come despite it not having any daily routes.

Allegiant Air, as well as Sun Country Airlines' seasonal nonstops, operate only on certain days of the week. For instance, Allegiant's new Mesa-Portland route flies twice weekly, typically on Sundays and Thursdays.

But Gateway Airport's goal is to establish at least one daily nonstop flight, serving a destination like Denver, to attract business travelers, O'Neill said. Talks are ongoing to establish such a route.

While O'Neill acknowledges it might be difficult to draw a major airline to serve Gateway Airport as well as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, he also thinks ongoing growth in the East Valley will mean Mesa will play a more prominent role in metro Phoenix's air transportation system.

"When you've got additional aircraft, it might be easiest to just fortify your existing markets," he said. "But if we can show (airlines), look at the population, look at the business growth, look at what we've been able to achieve with a nondaily leisure airline, I think that we'll be able to show them that their next best business opportunity is beginning service at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport."

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Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This Arizona airport is getting a big terminal expansion in 2024