Despite a steep drop in passenger traffic due to COVID-19, Chattanooga Airport has moved ahead with key projects as officials see an eventual end to the dreary state of air travel due to the virus.
Airport Chief Executive Terry Hart says that plans are to use this time of sharply fewer travelers – boardings were down nearly 95% in April over a year ago at Lovell Field – to oversee initiatives valued at millions of dollars.
Among the projects:
* Construction has begun on the $25 million parking garage outside the terminal, which will be the airport’s first such structure.
* Airport officials have agreed to buy a 1-acre tract adjacent to the airport for $710,000 for future development. The parcel for many years held Nancy’s Home Fashions at 5707 Lee Hwy.