Some big things are underway at the Yellowstone Airport in West Yellowstone, including the construction of a new commercial terminal building that is set to open for passengers in 2025.
“So the new terminal project is a complete replacement," says Airport Manager Jeff Kadlec. "The existing building was built in 1964 and doesn't meet the requirements of today's types of use.”
The current airport in West Yellowstone was built over two seasons in 1963 and 1964, making the building around 58 years old. Kadlec says the new building is a long time coming.
“Personally, it's been quite the feat," he says. "I've been working on this project for over eight years now. There's a lot of people involved and a lot of hard work gone into this, so it's very exciting to finally see it coming out of the ground.”
On average, around two commercial airlines fly into the Yellowstone Airport a day during the week and three flights come in during the weekends with private aircraft varying. Kadlec says the new building will be better equipped for travelers.
“The new building will actually have an indoor baggage claim. The existing building, we have our baggage—it's, you know, very unique. It's outside on the curb,” says Kadlec. “The new building will have two gates. They'll actually have bathroom facilities on the other side of the checkpoint as well, where we don't currently have that here in our existing building.”
He says the new building won't only be an improvement for travelers, but also for staff.
“Honestly, for the community and for all our tenants and all our workers here at the airport, you know, they've been working with kind of a sub-par facility for quite some time now. And we've been putting bubblegum and duct tape on it for quite a while. So, it's going to be really nice to enhance our customers experiences as well,” says Kadlec.
The current airport building will eventually be demolished after the move to the new building, expected to open in May of 2025.
