What happened?
McKinney City Council members approved a $17.7 million contract with the Frisco-based company during a Dec. 16 meeting. The contract comes after work began earlier this year on infrastructure for the terminal and parking, McKinney National Airport Director Ken Carley said.
“This is the second phase of that construction if you will,” Carley said. “We’re now ready to proceed with [Taxiway C], which is the first phase of a parallel taxiway on the east side of the airport and the FM 546 roundabout which will bring vehicle traffic into the site.”
McKinney National Airport is undergoing a $79 million expansion project to open a 46,000-square-foot terminal for commercial service. The terminal is expected to open in late 2026.
Council members also amended contracts with Garver for continued terminal area services and construction administration, and Terracon Consultants for construction observation and materials testing. Total project costs for the new phase is $20.7 million, Carley said.
Funding the project
City officials broke ground on the airport expansion in July, two years after McKinney voters denied a $200 million bond measure to fund the project. The project is instead funded by a mix of sources including the McKinney Community Development Corp., McKinney Economic Development Corp. and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2.
The project’s price tag includes construction of the terminal building with four gates, an apron to park planes, a 980-space parking lot, the new taxiway and roundabout at FM 546.
Looking ahead
Construction of the passenger terminal, parking lot and associated infrastructure are on schedule to be completed by late 2026, according to a city news release.
“This project is gaining momentum, and it’s exciting to see the city’s long-term planning turn into visible progress towards delivering a commercial terminal that will strengthen our economy and increase connectivity and convenience for our residents,” Mayor Bill Cox said in a statement.
Carley said the project “did go vertical” in December, and construction officials are planning for all of the tilt walls to be in place by the end of the year. The project is “progressing very well,” he said.
“A lot of progress has been made,” Carley said. “More of the apron’s been poured, the parking lot’s been poured, the terminal loop roadway has been poured.”
Work on the new taxiway and roundabout is expected to start in January and finish in October, according to the city's website. Construction on the terminal itself is expected to finish in November.
One more thing
City officials announced Avelo Airlines is the first airline to sign an agreement for offering commercial service at the airport. The airline, based in Houston, signed a five-year agreement for operations with an option to extend another five years.
Avelo Airlines is the first carrier to commit to serving McKinney National Airport, according to the news release. The airline will announce a launch date and the nonstop destinations it will serve from TKI a few months prior to the opening of the commercial terminal.
Carley called the agreement another “significant administrative achievement” on the project. The airline will be McKinney National Airport’s first partner on the project, he said.
“We’re excited to bring them on board and bring them into the loop,” Carley said. “That’ll also set the stage for the terms that we’ll be using to have discussions with other airlines.”
To learn more about McKinney National Airport, visit www.flytki.com.
