2023 was a year of growth and change for MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill., with the appointment of new leadership, the opening of a terminal expansion, the completion of a new Taxiway project and construction underway on additional terminal modifications that will benefit tenants and leisure air travel. MidAmerica St. Louis Airport expects to see continued expansion and growth throughout 2024.

This past year saw a transition in leadership as Darren James was officially named Airport Director in November, after serving as interim in the position since August 2023. James has more than three decades of leadership experience in global aviation operations and National Security, including serving a distinguished career in the United States Air Force. He played a key role in the growth experienced in 2023 by overseeing management, development, planning and community relations for the airport, as well as directing projects related to service expansion, tenant relations, business and land use development. Jennifer Hogancamp was also named Assistant Airport Director, bringing more than two decades of airport management leadership experience. She works to plan, organize, and direct the day-to-day activities of all maintenance, operations, and public safety functions of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.

The airport houses several major tenants and offers nonstop flights year-round or on a seasonal basis to a variety of popular destinations served by Allegiant, including Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Orlando/Sanford, Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah, and Tampa Bay/St. Pete. Out of these destinations, the most popular for leisure travelers remain Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, Tampa Bay/St. Pete and Orlando/Sanford. Numbers released in summer 2023 by the Federal Aviation Administration show that passenger enplanement growth continued, totaling 162,819 in 2022, which is a slight increase over the prior year. It also represents a 5.8% increase over 2019, the last full calendar year prior to the pandemic.

In June of 2023, MidAmerica St. Louis Airport completed work on a $34 million terminal expansion project and opened it for use. The 42,000-square-foot expansion nearly doubled the size of the existing terminal to accommodate future passenger growth and includes a variety of amenities that will enhance the experience for those traveling through MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. Project highlights include two new boarding bridges, a standard TSA screening area, an animal relief area, family restrooms, a nursing room, water bottle filling stations, a storm shelter and an expanded departure lounge with added room for concessions. ADA-compliant renovations were incorporated to accommodate people with disabilities and include recessed fixtures, a larger elevator, visual paging and accessible seating.

Construction continued on phase three of the terminal project, including additional renovations to the existing terminal and enhancements to the curbside drop off area outside the terminal. Phase four of the terminal expansion program will add a new General Aviation Facility for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and, eventually, a new Federal Inspection Station. The new addition will allow the airport to process international commercial flights, in addition to general aviation activity, and attract additional aircraft and airlines. Construction is expected to be underway in the spring of 2024.

“These expansion projects are significant as we look to enhance the traveler experience and grow the number of passengers flying out of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, while simultaneously working to increase the number of destinations and flights available for our leisure travelers in the future,” said James.

The terminal expansion project is not the only improvement project happening at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. A $37.7 million investment to add nearly 3,100 linear feet of new Taxiway Lima pavement and a new Taxiway Bridge over Crooked Creek was completed in the summer of 2023. The project will provide airfield access to a future aviation business park on the south side of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which will be anchored by Boeing’s new $200 million, 300,000-square-foot production facility that is nearing completion. Boeing, which is a longtime tenant, will use the new production facility to build the MQ-25 Stingray, the Navy’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the Boeing facility initially will initially employ approximately 150 mechanics, engineers and support staff.

In another exciting move, ground was broken in the fall of 2023 on a new $97 million, 5.2-mile MetroLink extension from the Shiloh-Scott Transit Center in Shiloh, Ill., to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. Once complete, the extension will make the airport even more accessible to potential customers along the light rail alignment and provide a direct connection to St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The project includes a new MetroLink station to be constructed across from the MidAmerica St. Louis Airport terminal and a 2.4-mile frontage road built near the airport. Construction is currently underway, with a targeted completion date of early 2026.

“We are excited for all the growth and development happening at and around MidAmerica St. Louis Airport,” said St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern. “The facility accounts for 23,442 jobs between operations at the airport, Scott Air Force Base and the various tenants onsite and is a $3.1 billion economic engine for the bi-state St. Louis region. Completed developments and expansions currently underway at the airport will provide additional economic benefits to the region as the airport continues to fill an important niche in the St. Louis region’s robust aviation scene.”