Tampa International Airport shows plans for new airside area.....

Tampa International Airport has released new, full-colour concept renderings of the design for Airside D, the Airport's first new airside area in almost 20 years.

The new 16-gate area will be used for both international and domestic flights and will have two levels and include 2 airline lounges.  The airport says the new Airside D area will open in 2028. The images are courtesy of the design-build team for the project led by construction company Hensel Phelps, with engineering corporation HNTB and architecture firm Gensler.

Exterior images give a sense of place for the Airside, which will be northwest of TPA's Main Terminal and will feature ample natural light and views of the bay. The new renderings show the soaring ceilings, bright interiors, the International Arrivals corridor that wraps around the building and more. The design process is currently at 15%, so these images are subject to change as the design evolves.

Airside D has a preliminary cost estimate of $1.5 billion and is scheduled to open to the public in 2028. The Airside will help TPA, which currently serves an estimated 25 million passengers annually, accommodate the region’s growth and serve up to 35 million annual passengers by 2037.

Airside D’s design features include:

Two levels plus a mezzanine for 2 airline lounges with views of the airfield and the bay

International Passenger Arrival Processing Area on the first floor

Shopping and dining locations at the center of the Airside, offering 360-degree views of the gates

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Volocopter up in the air in Tampa

 

Tampa International Airport (TPA), ranked the #1 Large Airport in J.D. Power's North America Airport Satisfaction Study, and Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), have successfully kicked-off a multilayered flight test campaign with a crewed Volocopter 2X. This marks the first-ever flight test of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in an operational and large international airport in the U.S., and the first eVTOL test in the state of Florida.

The flight test campaign consisted of aircraft downwash and outwash testing with the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and aircraft performance testing in local environmental conditions. Invited guests to the event included Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue, Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor, and leaders from Congress who are supporting UAM industry growth, regulatory advancement, and acceleration of public acceptance of eVTOLs in the U.S.

The UAM segment is being targeted by electric propulsion aircraft due to its ease of operations and noise considerations for urban use cases. Volocopter's quiet, safe, and sustainable operations of a certified eVTOL will not only provide efficient transportation, reduce congestion but also kickstart the decarbonization of the aviation industry.

Stateside, Volocopter announced in September its partnership with the Bristow Group to begin operations of eVTOLs in the near future, with Florida being one of the targeted areas of operation. Since 2018, Volocopter has flown in Las Vegas, Oshkosh, Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Tampa. Continued and visible flight test campaigns in view of the public are crucial steps to building an efficient UAM ecosystem that receives the communities' support.

No boarding pass, no problem.......Tampa airport allowing non flying passengers airside access.

Photo TPA

No boarding pass, no problem.......now Tampa airport will be allowing non-flying, non-passengers to go 'airside' passed security and shop till they drop, or eat and drink - quite probably until they drop as well!

The airport is introducing a brand new 'All Access' programme which will allow up to 100 people to visit the airport, to go airside and enjoy all the shops and eating places that side of the TSA check-points.

Ok, so this is not exactly a new phenomenon, in days gone by, in many places around the world, non-flying passengers could go airside, could go almost all the way to the gate to say goodbye to a loved one or spouse or family member or indeed to make sure an enemy has got on the gosh dang plane.  It was only numerous security breaches, terrorist activities and other such events that have curtailed that freedom of movement.