NEW KEY WEST AIRPORT TERMINAL IS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF

By Chris Sloan/Special to Keys Weekly

Over the last few years, visitors’ and locals’ nostalgic island experience of traipsing across the steaming tarmac at Key West International Airport has been replaced with a labyrinth of construction, shipping containers temporarily serving as tunnels, and a virtually standing-room-only departure area best described as purgatory. Even Seward Johnson’s iconic, welcoming bronze sculptures of arriving tourists that were long perched atop the ramp decamped nearly two years ago for their own facelifts.

That era of humid tarmac hikes with hefty luggage ended on Monday, April 14 at 7 a.m.

And whether you lament the loss of tropical traditions, or welcome the air-conditioned upgrades, Key West International Airport has a whole new look these days. With the early-morning pushback of Delta Air Lines flight 1072 to Atlanta, EYW’s new Concourse A was cleared for take-off. Instead of enduring blast-furnace heat or soaking rain showers, passengers left the gleaming, ultra-modern, 48,802-square-foot, new concourse and boarded the Airbus A319 via one of eight air-conditioned glass jet bridges – the first ever in the Florida Keys. 

“You lucky people; you are on the very first flight out of the new airport on the first jet bridge out of Key West,” Delta agent and local performer Mitch Jones announced to thunderous applause and cheers. Even at that early hour, most passengers were wowed and surprised at what they were experiencing, though some locals wistfully waxed nostalgic about missing walking to the planes outside on the ramp.

The long-anticipated world-class concourse opened with the first flights smoothly departing on time despite some technology snafus: inoperative PA systems, sideways flight information screens and IT and WiFi issues. But the soaring, spacious architecture no doubt alleviated some of the stress, with airport staff taking it all in stride.

The sleek new concourse will be the envy of major hubs — highlighted by a glass curtain wall assembled with 446 panels of electrochromic glass that can can withstand 200mph winds and switch between transparent and opaque states. 

But why are there dots on the glass? It’s for the birds. The glass wall panels feature bird-safe glazing — a pattern of small dots every 2 inches is fused to the glass to disrupt bird groups from seeing their reflection. Airport officials and the design team met with local wildlife preservation groups to review their concerns and gain approval for the pattern.

The new EYW is chock full of amenities: voluminous space, natural light, sparkling marble-walled bathrooms, comfortable generous seating with worktables, USB and AC power, free WiFi, and most noticeably — the $1 million ThyssenKrupp all-glass jetways at each of the eight gates, which are still a rarity in the United States. (Note: Silver Airways passengers can still experience the thrill of an outdoor tarmac trek, as those planes are too low for the new jet bridges to access.)

The lights went down on the old concourse with a Sunday night American Airlines arrival from Miami, and the final race was on for departures to begin early Monday morning. Personnel worked through the night to make the overnight switchover. 

“There is no simulation to be done beforehand. All the electronics have to just switch over from downstairs to here,” Monroe County’s Director of Airports Richard Strickland said in October.

The ongoing construction is analogous to changing the tire on a race car while still running a race, as Key West Airport and the Lower Keys experienced their biggest boom in travel during the buildout period. With three new airlines, seven new nonstop routes, and an 80% increase in available seats since 2019, the airport transformation was overdue.

Airport and airline crews, who had been working in overdrive learning jet bridges and new IT systems, particularly over the last week, were elated at the opening, but acknowledged much work remains. The facility remains a construction zone.

There’s much more to come

With a temporary certificate of occupancy in hand, EYW is in a soft launch mode with a grand opening planned for the first phase of improvements on Tuesday, May 21. 

Concessions are still a work in progress, as the airport currently only has a Farm2Air Market and a temporary Conch Flyer bar.

Still to come for departing passengers are a Chili’s restaurant, a Southern Point bar and a new Conch Flyer, an EYW tradition since back in the old Air Sunshine days in the 1970s. Additional vendors will round out the package.

The next phase of construction, which should be finished by summer 2026, will include a new pedestrian bridge, a four-lane TSA checkpoint, a new baggage claim and arrivals area with a new two-carousel baggage system that’s double the current size (thank goodness), rental car counters and a long First Call Beach Bar will offer thirsty travelers their first margarita. 

 “There will be more space and depth for everybody to be able to breathe and move around in baggage,” Strickland promises.

Key West air travel continues to soar

The upgraded terminal, which Strickland says is the largest single public project in Monroe County history, showcases the Keys’ emergence as a premium destination. The previous 7,000- square-foot departure hold room dated back to the original terminal’s 1957 opening, and had long outlived its expiration date even after a 2009 expansion.

All the while, Key West’s air traffic boomed post-pandemic from 969,069 passengers in 2019 to 1.45 million in 2024, with Key West International Airport enjoying one of the fastest growth rates of any U.S. airport. And that growth continues, as Key West newcomer Breeze Airways will begin service at the new terminal on June 12, initially offering nonstop service to Orlando and Tampa.

Inbound visitors account for 96% of traffic at EYW, with local outbound passengers accounting for the small remaining balance. Of all the overnight visitors coming to the Florida Keys, 24% fly into the Key West airport, while 21% percent fly into Miami and then drive a rental car down the island chain to their hotel or vacation rental.

Overall, 42% of tourists arrive by personal and rental vehicle, according to a 2024 analysis commissioned by the county’s Tourist Development Council. Diverting more leisure-based air traffic into Key West is a growth opportunity for the airport, and potentially could reduce the number of vehicles on the Overseas Highway. 

Airport construction & funding 

The county commission approved construction of the new $100 million facility in October 2021 as the travel boom reached its peak. The project broke ground a year later in November 2022. Monroe County selected a joint-venture firm, Kendall-based NV2AGulf and the local Stock Island-based Keystar Construction, as lead contractors.

Taxpayers aren’t footing the bill for the new facility. 

“The project was completely funded by $41.34 million in bond proceeds, Florida Department of Transportation grants, FAA grants, PFCs (Passenger Facility Charges), and airport revenues. No local tax dollars were used,” EYW communications director Katie Atkins said in an April 14 press release announcing the soft opening.

Enhanced user fees for airlines, increased rents and concession revenues will be used to pay back more than $40 million in bonds. 

Monday’s soft opening was about six months late from the original target, which is considered normal by industry standards. But the project isn’t suffering from cost overruns notorious with projects of this scale. 

As for the missing Seward Johnson sculpture depicting a luggage-toting family of tourists? Fear not. The “New Friends” sculpture will once again welcome people to the Southernmost City. But they, too, will exchange their outside perch for the air-conditioned comfort of the new arrivals hall next year.

Stay tuned to keysweekly.com as the new and improved Key West International Airport continues to take shape. 

— Special thanks to Chris Sloan, an aviation journalist and Key West resident, for providing the Keys Weekly with exclusive coverage. For more aviation information, visit theairchive.net and see more of Chris Sloan’s Key West videos on YouTube at TimeFliesTravelVideos.