Airport additions
In the past five years, Chattanooga’s airport has added flights, parking and other upgrades:› December 2011: Airport launches largest solar energy farm at a Tennessee airport with 3,948 solar panels.› February 2012: Airport marks LEED Platinum certification of new corporate flight terminal.› January 2014: Airport buys TAC Air operations.› April 2014: Passenger terminal undergoes $7.2 million renovation.› September 2014: Rental car lot doubled with $1.5 million upgrade.› August 2015: West Star Aviation invests $22.5 million in air maintenance facility; plans to hire 225 people.› April 2016: New parking spaces added.› September 2016: United Airlines launches nonstops to New York area and Chicago.Source: Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport
Staff file photo by Dan Henry / Terry Hart, Chattanooga Airport CEO, marks the inaugural nonstop flight from United Airlines connecting Chattanooga to the New York area.
Terry Hart, president and CEO of Chattanooga Metropolitan AirportChattanooga Metropolitan Airport blew past its old passenger traffic mark in 2016, spurring officials to craft a new master plan that will look at more gates, parking and air service.
The airport broke the 400,000 passenger barrier for the first time ever last year as boardings climbed 6.8 percent over 2015 to come in at 419,059.
Terry Hart, the airport’s chief executive, said boardings are up 38 percent in the past five years. He said Lovell Field is benefiting from a growing economy and keeping more travelers from driving to other cities to fly with new service such as non-stop routes to the New York City area on United Airlines.
A study over a year ago showed that more than half of all air travelers from the area drove to another airport to fly, such as in Atlanta or Nashville.