Burlington International Airport to receive federal funding to aid expansion

As Burlington International Airport (BTV) celebrates its 100-year-anniversary, it is projected to receive a $10 million federal grant in the fall of 2020, which will be used to expand the size of the airport’s main terminal.  

In a press release last November, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao said that the $10 million grant is part of a $485 million federal investment in American airports,“[to] address safer airport operations, fewer airport delays, and greater ease of travel for air travelers.” 

For Burlington International Airport, these improvements will come in the form of an 18,000-square-foot expansion to centralize the two existing Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints into a single facility. Creating a conglomerate TSA checkpoint would require less personnel, according to Vermont Federal Security Director  Bruce McDonald. 

“Running two checkpoints requires probably 20% more people than it takes to run just one that has four or five lanes,” McDonald said. “You get a much more efficient operation during surges. It puts all of our eggs in one basket, and it greatly enhances screening efficiency.”

This boost in the TSA’s screening capacity comes at a much needed moment for the airport. In  recent years, BTV has experienced a significant growth in passenger traffic. According to a VTDigger article, the arrival of Frontier Airlines to BTV’s air service providers, upgrades in aircraft size among all airlines and new non-stop flights to Denver and Orlando resulted in a 14% rise in total passengers. The new expansion would meet the needs of an airport that is expected to continue to grow into the decade. 

“At the present, the two separate checkpoints causes an immense strain because we have eight, sometimes nine flights compressed within an hour in the early morning,” McDonald said. “At some points, especially during the summer and fall, we’re running at 20-30% over capacity. You just simply can’t keep up.” 

Presently, the airport’s two checkpoints are able to process an estimated 300 passengers per hour. In comparison, a centralized facility could process close to 800, Deputy Director of Aviation Nicolas Longo said in a Seven Days article. Many frequent travellers out of BTV, like Ella Kim ‘22, will benefit from a faster security screening process.