People love to visit New Orleans. They do not, however, love landing there, acknowledges Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who last week unveiled plans to build a new, state-of-the-art terminal on the north side of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
The result of a two-year analysis of the airport’s future, Landrieu’s plan calls for a $650 million terminal that would lower operating costs and increase revenue from parking and concessions, ultimately improving airlift to New Orleans by attracting new flights and business to the airport.
“The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport serves as a gateway to millions of tourists and business travelers each year and is a critical driver for the creation of jobs and economic development,” Landrieu said in a statement. “Creating a new, modern airport is integral to our success as a world-class travel destination and hub for commerce. It makes economic sense and will create over 13,000 jobs in construction. Recently, significant progress has been made to improve the air service, facilities and customer experience at Armstrong International. But this option provides us the ability to build on these improvements and create the world-class airport that this city deserves.”
Construction of the new terminal — plans for which include several possible additions, including a $72 million power plant project and a $17 million on-site hotel — is expected to commence in 2014 and conclude in 2018.
“This project is about investing in our future,” Landrieu continued. “As the 300th anniversary of New Orleans approaches in 2018, my vision is to create a world-class, international airport that will continue the economic vitality of our region. We cannot afford to let another 30 years go by without a clear path forward. The north side option is financially feasible and delivers a strong return on investment for our region.”
Added Stephen Perry, president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, “The world-class airport will be a game-changer for New Orleans’ status as a convention, leisure, special event and business destination, as well as our goal of reaching 13.7 million visitors by 2018. The economic model of the new facility will allow the airlines to bring in more daily flights and more seats, so that we can better compete with convention destinations with more ‘airlift,’ such as Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. The Convention and Visitors Bureau completely supports the mayor and Aviation Board on this exciting endeavor.”
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