Falls airport terminal will soon take wing
WHEATFIELD — Hopes were high today for the new terminal at Niagara Falls International Airport.
Some might even say sky high.
The public got its first chance to walk through the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's $31.6 million facility during an open house this afternoon and evening.
In the morning, more than 200 government staffers, elected officials and community leaders attended an hourlong dedication ceremony hailing the project as a needed tool to tap into the region's economic potential.
Officials proclaimed the completion of the terminal - which had an official groundbreaking in May 2008 - would offer a boost for Niagara County's economic development engine. Many also noted that in order for success to happen, a serious marketing campaign and strategy must be executed.
"Like the field of dreams: It's built; they will come," said William L. Ross, chairman of the Niagara County Legislature. "But it's going to be with an effort."
Supporters believe the new terminal will help draw direct international flights as well as commuter flights to the Falls. Both markets are underserved at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, NFTA officials have said.
Most of the construction on the 70,000-square-foot building is complete, and the NFTA will transition operations from the existing terminal within 60 days, said Lawrence Meckler, the agency's executive director.
There is no firm opening date yet for the new terminal, said Meckler. He said he hopes today's event will help the agency gain momentum to capture $14.5 million, the rest of the needed to cover the cost of the project.
That figure represents about one-third of the total $42.5 million in expenses for the new terminal, apron and landside improvements.
Many of the area's high-profile business leaders attended the dedication, and additional promotional events will be held when operations begin at the terminal, Meckler said.
Meckler also said the agency could possibly announce a new destination for flights from the airport by the end of the year.
The airport currently has three incoming and three outgoing commercial passenger flights a week.
A Buffalo News review published in July found that in order for the facility to break even, passenger traffic would have to exhibit major growth. Last year, 39,633 passengers flew into and out of the airport. NFTA officials have estimated it would take 525,000 travelers to break even.
The review by The News also found the airport will continue to lose money after the new terminal opens, with the gap bridged by money made at the Buffalo Niagara airport in Cheektowaga.
Edward Warneck, president of Myrtle Beach Direct Air, the carrier currently operating out of the Falls, attended the dedication ceremony. He said he believes the time is now for the community to recognize what marketing effort is needed in order to make the airport succeed.
Warneck said he believes his company's operations have proven passenger flights can be successful here, which should be a sign to other carriers. He added that while a new building can make a traveler's experience more convenient, it is not what's going to draw visitors.
"The baton" has been handed to local marketing agencies and business organizations to promote the resource, he said.
Warneck, who noted the difficult economic pressures presently facing the airline industry, offered this when asked what the terminal means to his company: "It's an opportunity for us to grow with the community."
Warneck also said he and the other business partners read customer letters personally, and believe many travelers "love it" in Niagara Falls.
Bob Nay, sales and marketing director for Maryland-based Kenny Tours, which organizes tours to and from Ireland, also attended today's event.
Nay met with NFTA officials Tuesday night and a deal to bring flights to Niagara Falls is about 80 percent complete, he said. The company is negotiating with several European airlines about service, he said.
Nay also said the need to "sell the area" is paramount in making the airport a success.
This isn't the first time the NFTA has had talks with Kenny Tours. In 2007, the authority began discussions with the company about charter flights between Niagara Falls and Shannon, Ireland. Those flights, priced as low as $799 round-trip, were slated to begin last summer, but the deal hit a snag when Kenny was unable to secure aircraft to make the trips.
The new terminal was designed by Stantec Architecture of Vancouver, British Columbia. The general contractor for the project is Walter S. Johnson Building Co. of Niagara Falls.
While it's called the Niagara Falls airport, the new terminal actually sits in the Town of Wheatfield, while the currently operating terminal is located in the Town of Niagara. The airport's runway also is located in Wheatfield.
The largest piece of funding for the project is $12.2 million from the local share of casino revenue, while the Federal Airport Administration contributed $9.1 million for improvements aside from the terminal.
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