San Antonio International Airport has made due with just two terminals for long enough. This week, airport officials followed up on an old promise to expand the airport to a third terminal. It revealed its plans for the $2.5 billion expansion with renderings of the new gates.

Officials say that the airport will gain around 17 new gates as a result of the expansion. They said that the new terminal will be more than twice the size of either of the current terminals. The airport currently has only 24 gates, which is a small number for the number of people who live in the city. The new terminal would nearly double the number of gates the airport has.

As the seventh-largest city in the U.S., San Antonio needed to do some work on its airport. Its current capacity is not sufficient for a large and growing city that needs to be able to handle significant air traffic. For example, Philadelphia, the sixth-largest city in the country, has an airport with 126 gates. San Antonio lags behind other cities of its size in terms of air capacity, so it’s good to see officials taking action.

San Antonio Airport Will Remain in Current Location

One of the big questions about the airport expansion was whether or not the airport would have to move. San Antonio International Airport is notable for being very close to the city’s downtown. It’s actually just 10 minutes from Castle Hills, which is just north of the city center. Officials, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg, were glad to see that the plan did not include a complete relocation. After all, having an airport so close can be a major advantage.

Work on the airport expansion will take place over the next five years. The airport said in its announcement that it aims to open the new terminal building in the second quarter of 2028. Until then, the people of San Antonio will have to deal with a smaller airport than they deserve.