"Savannah, Ga., airport seeks to squeeze more gates into terminal expansion"

Sunday, September 19, 2004

Savannah, Ga., airport seeks to squeeze more gates into terminal expansion
The Savannah (GA) Morning News


Here's an aeronautical riddle: How many airplanes can you park at 10
terminal gates?

It's a question officials at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport had
to ask themselves a lot lately.

The answer?

Up to 18 -- as long as most of them are the small, 50-seat, regional jets.

The larger question is what happens if the bigger 70- or 90-seat regional
jets start calling on Savannah? Or if airlines want to bring in more
flights?

Airport executive director Patrick Graham says it's not really a question of
"if."

"It's going to happen," he said, "probably sooner rather than later. And,
when it does, we'll definitely be in a space crunch."

To make sure the terminal is ready to handle the additional traffic, the
airport commission has asked Ruth & Dunavent of Jacksonville -- architects
of the current airport terminal -- to design an expansion that adds four
more gates with the ability to accommodate another six to seven planes.

With plans for the expansion about 80 percent complete and financing in
place, construction could begin as soon as next year, Graham said. The
target date for opening the new section is early 2007.

It won't come a moment too soon.

Rachel Hemi, visiting from New Zealand, reads while waiting for her flight
in the square at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Scott Bryant
Savannah Morning News Some 47 flights -- carrying an average of 3,000
passengers -- take off or arrive every day at SAV, the universal airport
code for Savannah/Hilton Head International.

Passenger boardings for August were nearly 20 percent higher than for the
same month last year. Those figures were 15 percent ahead for the year
overall. The numbers for passenger arrivals are nearly identical.

There's little doubt the flying public has taken to the air again, Graham
said.

"And we need to be able to accommodate the competition that comes with that.
Without this expansion, we won't have the availability to let competition
in."

More flights, smaller jets A major factor in the resurgence of air travel in
Savannah since 9-11 has been the advent of regional jet service -- a term
that is something of a misnomer since many fly routes as long as 1,000
miles, said Robert Uhrich, director of air service development for the
airport.

"It would be more accurate to call them small jets," he said of the 50-seat
planes that now take to the skies between Savannah and such cities as
Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Dallas and New York.

Regional jets account for most of the nonstop flights added in the last few
years, Uhrich said.

"If we didn't have regional jet service, we'd be dependent solely on major
airlines going to their hubs -- Delta to Atlanta, US Airways to Charlotte,"
he said.

"We'd have fewer options to offer our travelers."

If orders for regional jets are any indication, those options won't be
diminishing anytime soon.

"There are 535 regional jets flying now, firm orders for another 750, and
enough options to bring the total to 1,500," Graham said last week.

International aviation consulting firm Morten Beyer & Agnew recently
reported projections of 3,000-plus new 30- to 120-seat regional jets between
now and 2013.

Embraer is expected to build about 1,500 while Bombardier will construct
about 1,000. The remainder will be built by various other vendors.

"We see a definite trend toward the 70- to 90-seat jets -- and away from the
50 seaters," said Morten S. Beyer, chairman and CEO.

"Savannah is definitely making the right move in building to accommodate
this new direction."

While the new emphasis on larger regional jets reflects the burgeoning
demand in the Savannah market, it also presents some logistical problems
that didn't exist when the terminal was built 10 years ago, Uhrich said.

Back then, gates were designed to accommodate 757s.

Today, three smaller jets fly in for every large jet that arrives. 

Savannah Square at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Scott Bryant
Savannah Morning News "Right now, we can park two 50-seaters at one gate,"
he said. "But our projections are starting to point to the larger regional
jets -- the 70- to 90-seaters -- and we can't park them two to a gate."

The new gates will be designed to handle those regional jets and smaller
mainline aircraft up to 737s, Uhrich said.

"It's critical, when we go out to recruit new carriers or new market
destinations, that we know we'll have the gate space we need."

It's also crucial for economic development, said Rick Winger, president of
the Savannah Economic Development Authority.

"A community is judged by many criteria, depending on who is looking at
you," he said.

"For the types of economic development projects we're going after -- those
that will provide higher paying jobs and an enhanced quality of life -- an
international airport with a number of nonstop destinations is absolutely
essential."

Economic development plays an equally important role in the success of the
airport, Graham said.

"Right now, we're starting to get a little heavy on the leisure travel side
-- about 70 percent to 30 percent business travel," he said. "We'd like to
see that move to 60-40 or, even better, 50-50."

Graham is confident continued aggressive economic development will bring the
more-lucrative business travel.

"The (proposed Daimler-Chrysler) megasite is going to be occupied. It's just
a matter of time," he said. "And, when it is, it's going to bring a lot of
business travel."

SAVANNAH/HILTON HEAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

   --Size & location: 3,500-acre site approximately 13 miles from downtown.

   --Elevation: 51 feet above sea level, it is one of the highest sites in
Chatham County.

   --Operation: It's under the direction of the Savannah Airport Commission,
a five-member body of local citizens appointed by the mayor and city
council.

   --Terminal: The 275,000-square-foot terminal was built in 1994 at a cost
of $68.5 million. It has 10 gates with loading bridges, and can accommodate
up to 18 aircraft.

   --Runways: Two operational runways: Runway 9/27 is 9,351 feet long and
Runway 18/36 is 7,001 feet long.

   --Parking: Passenger parking includes more than 2,600 spaces.


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