Ribbon cut on Kearney Regional Airport terminal expansion, renovation

KEARNEY, Neb. — People traveling through the Kearney Regional Airport are getting an upgraded experience. 

The city cut the ribbon on a renovated terminal Wednesday afternoon. The remodel includes the addition of more than 4,300 square feet. That allows the airport to be ready if it ever moves up from 50-passenger to 75-passenger jets.

“Hopefully someday Kearney will be able to achieve that and we won’t have to add on," City Manager Mike Morgan said. "We’re prepared for the additional passenger load if that occurs. But also in the meantime, just make it as pleasant as it can be for traveling through an airport.”

The improvements were funded by a $6.3 million federal CARES Act grant championed by U.S. Senator Deb Fischer.

Morgan says the city prioritized features that benefit customers. Beyond added space and seating, there’s an abundance of charging ports, additional and improved restrooms and a top-of-the-line CT scanner for checked baggage.

“Things can be examined in a much quicker process," Morgan said. "Not all airports have it yet, so we’re very appreciative. You have to hit a certain amount of enplanements or passengers in order for an airport to receive that.”

The new terminal comes just over a year after Sky West dropped service to Kearney because of a pilot shortage. Enplanements are down with new provider Denver Air Connection, which offers 12 nonstop roundtrip flights per week to Denver.

Morgan expects numbers to pick up with the new terminal and as people become familiar with the new air service.

“We just know that you do this very seldom, and so you wanted to make sure that if something did change in the future, you were prepared for those numbers,” Morgan said.

Federal grant money is also funding a new hangar at the airport. It’s expected to open before the end of the year.