Summary
- Expansion of TSA screening areas at TPA’s Airside A and E checkpoints is underway to accommodate modern security needs.
- This $65 million project aims to enhance queueing space, add screening lanes, and improve passenger experience.
- TPA’s long-term plans include increasing annual capacity up to 38 million passengers, with future projects like the Airside D expansion ready to restart.
Tampa International Airport (TPA) has begun construction work to expand TSA screening areas at its Airside A and E checkpoints. These areas have often been bottlenecks for passengers as they were designed before the post-9/11 industry security changes.
Tampa announces security expansion
Airside A first opened in 1995, while Airside E was opened in 2002, soon after the industry-changing events on September 11, 2001. However, both airsides were designed without foreknowledge of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirements. The airport said the two checkpoints currently offer “inadequate space for modern security checkpoint needs,” particularly as its growth trajectory continues. They will now be expanded by around 20,000 sq ft each to boost the airport’s screening capabilities.
Matthew DeLoatche, TPA Senior Manager of Planning and Development, said,
“For the last two decades, we’ve leveraged the original airside designs to their fullest. But now, we’ve reached the point that annual passenger growth, and our commitment to providing the best passenger experience, dictate that these facilities grow as well.”
The project – led by Boston-based design-build firm Suffolk Construction, in partnership with consulting firm AECOM – will cost over $65 million and is funded almost entirely with bonds and $525,000 in Federal grants. Construction work has now started, with the project scheduled for completion by the summer of 2025.
Spacious security checkpoints
Airside A will receive a 20,560 sq ft expansion to its passenger boarding level southwest of the current TSA checkpoint – once complete, the checkpoint will offer almost four times as much queueing space and can hold seven screening lanes.
Airside E will be expanded by 19,542 sq ft, which will be built to the south of the shuttle lobby. This will also feature seven screening lanes and an expanded exit lane for arrivals to access shuttles to the Main Terminal. The airport has advised passengers that they may see construction work at both checkpoints from now until the summer of 2025, but reassured that “disruptions should be minimal.”
DeLoatche added,
“We understand that security screening can often be one of the more stressful aspects of air travel. We also know that large-scale construction at airsides that are constantly in use comes with unique challenges. These new, expanded checkpoints will enhance the customer experience, and will be well worth the wait.”
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Room for growth
Now serving over 90 destinations, TPA currently handles around 23 million passengers per year, but has ambitious plans to serve up to 38 million annually in the next two decades.
The airport’s long-awaited Airside D project is also due to resume this year after a hiatus over the pandemic. With a slated completion date of 2027, the new facility would boost TPA’s annual capacity to around 35 million passengers. It has also been mulling over a proposal to build a North Terminal, which could add another 45 gates and bring the airport’s capacity close to 60 million passengers annually.
Have you ever passed through Airside A or E at Tampa International Airport? Let us know your experiences in the comments.
