Trustees approve new Purdue University Airport terminal as exploration of commercial air service continues

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In action needed before bringing commercial air service for Greater Lafayette to Purdue University Airport, the Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Aug. 4) gave approval to plan, finance, construct and award construction contracts for a new terminal.

This is a significant next step in Purdue serving the state through “ABCD”: Airport for the Greater Lafayette region, Broadband for rural counties, (hard tech) Corridor for central Indiana and Purdue@DC, which brings unique capabilities to our nation’s capital.

“The university has been actively exploring the return of commercial air service to the Purdue University Airport, and the data shows that Purdue University and the Greater Lafayette community’s travel volume could support this service offering,” said Rob Wynkoop, Purdue vice president of auxiliary services. “We have more work to do, but the approval of this project helps ensure the needed infrastructure will be in place when the time comes.”

The approximately 8,000-square-foot facility – to be located west of the existing terminal – will include restrooms, a waiting area, baggage claim, ticketing and passenger screening. It will be constructed to comply with Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration requirements.

“We considered a number of possible terminal solutions, including a renovation of the existing building, and determined the construction of this new facility is the most cost-conscious approach that meets federal requirements,” Wynkoop said.

Existing airport hangar T-1 will be demolished, and new short-term parking will be created in its place. Safety improvements will be made to the railroad track pedestrian crossing. 

Construction is scheduled to start in May 2024 and be completed in May 2025. The estimated cost of the project is $11.8 million, to be funded by state funds via the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative ($7 million), gift funds ($3.3 million) and a federal grant ($1.5 million).

In June, trustees gave approval for the rehabilitation of a Purdue University Airport runway.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives. 

Writer: Tom Schott

Sources: Jay Wasson

Rob Wynkoop