Tampa airport unveils final design for new $1.5B airside terminal

Tampa International Airport’s governing board has approved the final designs for Airside D, a $1.52 billion new airside terminal that marks the airport’s largest expansion project in nearly 20 years. 

The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Board of Directors approved the final design for the new, 16-gate airside terminal during its Thursday meeting, authorizing a $902 million supplemental contract and allowing construction to begin on the project later this year. 

Officials anticipate the 600,000-square-foot terminal will be completed in late 2028 and open to the public in 2029. 

The expansion is designed to anchor the airport’s next phase of international growth, as passenger traffic continues to climb with the addition of more international and domestic routes. TPA currently serves about 25 million passengers per year, it says, and is projected to serve up to 35 million passengers annually by 2037 as the Tampa Bay region continues to grow. 

“Airside D is more than a new terminal, it is a bold vision for the future of travel in Tampa Bay,” Airport CEO Michael Stephens says in the release. “Thanks to the dedication and collaboration of our TPA team and partners, we’re setting a new standard for innovation, service and hospitality in our region. Once complete, Airside D will serve as Tampa Bay’s international gateway, welcoming the world with the world-class experience our guests expect from TPA.”

Courtesy image

Airside D will be the largest terminal at TPA by footprint and is designed to handle both domestic and international flights. The new facility will include a modern TSA checkpoint, ground-level international arrivals inspection facility and new automated “people movers” connecting it to the main terminal complex.

The final renderings for the terminal feature open, airy interior with soaring ceilings and large windows showcasing sweeping views of the surrounding Tampa area. Newly added design features include a special tribute to former Airport CEO Joe Lopano, who retired last April. Visitors to the terminal will be greeted by a wall-mounted quote from Lopano that reads, “We set our sights on a grand future because we have the ability to think big and achieve greatness. We owe it to our predecessors on whose shoulders we stand."

The new terminal will also include a mezzanine level with both a Delta Sky Club and a common-use lounge, dynamic media features displaying moving images and animation throughout the building and glass boarding bridges providing scenic views of the airfield as passengers board and exit their planes. More than 10 shopping and dining locations will be in the center of the Airside D terminal, allowing for 360-degree views of all boarding gates.

Courtesy image

The design-build team for the project is led by construction company Hansel Phelps along with architecture and engineering companies HNTB Corporation and Genseler.

During Thursday’s meeting, the board also selected Austin Industries, Inc. as the design-builder for an expansion of the Main Terminal’s ticketing level. That project aims to modernize the second floor of the airport by 2029, adding 28 new airline counters and redesigning the 135,000-square-foot floor to improve queueing and circulation. Airline office spaces will also be relocated to a new, 30,000-square-foot space inside the airport.

TPA broke ground on Airside D in December 2024 and has been prepping the site for major construction by removing concrete, installing secure fencing and prepping for construction to begin. The concrete that was removed from the site was recycled to help prepare for construction, the airport says. Workers are already building the foundations of Airside D and are on schedule to begin installing the structural steel framing this summer.