Published in Midwest Flyer – October/November 2019 Issue
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MINN. – This spring the staff at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (KMSP) started looking toward the future and have begun work on the long-term planning process for the airport.
Creating a long-term plan is important not only to travelers who rely on the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to provide an efficient and enjoyable experience, but also to the entire region, as KMSP supports more than 89,000 area jobs and generates nearly $16 billion in total economic output.
The airport also helps Minnesota retain businesses, including the 17 Fortune 500 companies in the Twin Cities, which rely on the airport to move both goods and people to places around the globe.
The process includes studying airport facility and infrastructure needs based on 20-year projections of passenger and aircraft operations growth. The KMSP Airport 2040 Long-Term Plan will ultimately help MAC, which owns and operates KMSP, to better understand future facility needs.
The planning process will fulfill a state requirement for the airport and is a significant undertaking for MAC staff. In addition to research and statistical modeling, MAC has also begun engaging key stakeholders to ensure it receives meaningful feedback and ideas throughout the process.
To help accomplish this, MAC has created a 29-member Stakeholder Advisory Panel, comprised of individuals representing surrounding communities, airport tenants, federal agencies, specific passenger groups, regional businesses, and tourism associations, who will provide that input. The panel’s first meeting was held earlier this year.
Individuals interested in receiving updates to the planning process – including when public meetings are scheduled – should visit https://www.mspairport.com/long-term-plan and sign up to receive e-news specific to this topic.
