SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Salt Lake City International Airport opened the final seven gates of Concourse B on Tuesday, completing a $5.1 billion redevelopment that took 12 years to build and decades to plan.
“It’s an exciting day for all of Utah and for Salt Lake,” airport Executive Director Bill Wyatt said. “We just cut our last ribbon for the opening of the final gates on the B concourse.”
The final 132,000-square-foot section includes five gates for United Airlines and two common-use gates for other carriers. It also adds six concessions: Swig, Monarca, Moochie’s, Mr. Charlie’s Chicken Fingers, Einstein Bros. Bagels and &Go.
The completed airport now has 94 gates, four hardstand positions and 101 places to eat or shop.
The redevelopment replaced aging terminals while the airport continued serving passengers. Wyatt said the pandemic changed the construction plan when a drop in air travel allowed crews to get busy.
“The pandemic gave us the opportunity to basically take the old airport down all at once,” Wyatt said.
He said that decision helped the airport finish five years ahead of schedule.
The project was funded through airport revenue, passenger and rental-car fees, revenue bonds and federal funding. Airport officials said no local tax dollars were used.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the finished airport is about more than adding gates.
“It will attract more tourism to the state and to the region, which is also going to attract business and more jobs to this economy,” Mendenhall said. “Salt Lake City is more and better connected to every part of the globe.”
Traveler Kevin Farley, who was visiting friends in Utah, said he found the airport easy to use.
“The parking is super easy. The pickups are super easy,” Farley said. “I have nothing but great things to say about it.”
United will move into its final gates over the next several days.