Utah’s state legislature is considering a $10 million investment in St. George Regional Airport that could help fund a major terminal expansion as southwest Utah continues to grow.
The funding, included in the final state budget currently moving through the legislature, would go toward adding at least three gates to the airport's single existing terminal, with a long-term plan to reach eight gates total.
Airport Director Dustin Warren said the $10 million from the state would be added to $21 million already committed by the City of St. George as part of a $100 million project to expand the airport to four gates.
State Sen. Derrin Owens, R-Fountain Green, is among those backing the investment.
"The St. George Airport has exceeded all expectations and the growth there is unprecedented," Owens said.
Owens also pointed to SkyWest Airlines, one of St. George's largest employers, as a key reason to invest in the airport's infrastructure.
"They're the busiest airline in the world. So having them in Utah brings a lot of economic development benefit here. It's a 100-million-dollar project. Everybody needs to have skin in the game, the county, the city, the state, the federal government," Owens said.
Warren said the expansion is not intended to transform St. George Regional into a major hub on par with Salt Lake City or Las Vegas — it's about keeping pace with the region's rapid growth.
"The faster the community grows, and the more the community grows, the airport is going to chase them," Warren said.
Warren told me the airport has seen a 22% increase in passengers in just the last month, and a 33% increase overall in the last year.
Warren said the airport's architect offered an encouraging assessment of the existing facility.
"Our architect, he told us we had very good bones, a very good structure to work from," Warren said.
"He says your building is set up really well to keep that smooth transition and that short ticket lines, the short walk, and that customer experience is definitely the focus for this terminal expansion," Warren said.
"We're still a regional airport and we will be for quite some time. We'll be a non-hub regional airport," Warren said.
Warren also said better infrastructure could attract more airlines and ultimately lower ticket prices for travelers flying out of St. George, where flights can cost several hundred dollars more than those departing from Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, about two hours away. Some travelers currently make that drive — or head north — to find cheaper fares.
"Competition does create lower prices, you know, and as we continue to grow, we just continue to market ourselves in a way that it looks like an airline can make money," Warren said.
The airport is also in the middle of another major infrastructure milestone. A new $15 million air traffic control tower recently received its exterior cladding and is expected to begin testing before going online sometime next year. Currently, flights at St. George Regional are controlled out of Los Angeles. The new tower will allow for greater control and more flights.
Travelers passing through the airport say they value what makes it distinct from larger facilities. Tiffany Schmid, who was arriving Wednesday from Colorado Springs on her first trip to St. George, said the experience speaks for itself.
"I like flying in and out of regional airports because you don't have to wait in a long line. I like little regional airports," Schmid said.
Amado Castaneda, traveling through the airport from Cedar City, echoed that sentiment, pointing to the TSA lines that typically have no more than one or two people waiting.
"It is. That's what I like," Castaneda said.
Warren said as the region continues to expand, the airport sees itself as a community asset — and one that should benefit from the tax revenue the area generates.
"As the area continues to grow, this is a regional asset, right — the state takes a fair amount of tax from here, and why not put them back to where the money's coming from?" Warren said.
