Due to increased air traffic, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport is currently working on six different projects meeting demand, the price tag totaling $600 million. Last year, the airport broke its passenger record of almost 3.8 million travelers. Now, a new air traffic control tower is being designed to help manage the surge in flyers, which so far this year, is up 17% from 2023.
“Our airport is rapidly growing to keep pace with the west Michigan community, which is the fastest growing population in the state of Michigan.”
Haley Abbas is the Marketing and Communications Manager for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority.
“The current tower is located on top of the terminal building, and so it is prohibiting additional development on the airport’s campus due to line-of-sight issues.”
The current tower is also more than 60 years old, making it the second oldest tower among the country’s top 100 markets. The average airport tower’s lifespan is about 40 years.
On May 22nd, Michigan Senate members passed a resolution urging the U.S. Congress fund construction of the new tower.
“We were able to secure funding thanks to the help of state leaders to move the tower at least into the design phase with the FAA, so that was really important because the tower is owned and operated by the FAA.”
The airport hopes to have the tower design phase finished by the end of the year, with construction scheduled to begin in 2025.
