Work may well start sometime in 2029 on the building of an extensive new terminal belonging to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
It was thought that the multibillion-dollar project, which has been in the planning stage for several years, probably wouldn’t see construction launch until around 2031.
But in December, the Federal Aviation Administration informed airport officials that an expected federal environmental review process was being shortened. That announcement, noted the Phoenix Business Journal, “will shave several years off the development process for a new terminal at the airport.”
In making that announcement, the FAA noted that an extensive environmental impact statement, which included plans for a new terminal and had been submitted in 2006, was enough for the agency’s approval.
The new $4 billion terminal will go up on the west side of the airport where the original Terminals 1 and 2, both of which have since been demolished, once stood.
Airport officials have said that the new terminal is needed to serve an ever-increasing passenger load. One of the busiest airports in the country, Sky Harbor saw more than 48.7 million passengers in 2023, a number that substantially jumped to 51.6 million last year.
The new terminal, which is part of Sky Harbor’s Comprehensive Asset Management Plan, is one of several projects under consideration at the airport. Additional projects include a new taxiway and concourse in Terminal 3.
February 13 2026
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of City of Phoenix
