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Anchorage International Airport (ANC) in Alaska has approved a 20-year expansion plan, which will see the airport become more efficient while also increasing its capacity. Considering the airport’s projected passenger growth, ANC will not only increase its capacity, but the expansion plan will also improve the on-ground experience for passengers.
Beyond passengers, the airport will also see an increase in aircraft handling capacity, particularly on the cargo side, because Anchorage remains a key cargo hub in the region. The expansion plan is driven by projected demand, and therefore, the airport could potentially even add a new runway, provided further studies indicate the need for it.
Anchorage Airport’s 20-Year Blueprint
Anchorage is the largest airport in Alaska, and it has just approved an extensive 20-year airport expansion plan, which will see ANC develop in line with the airport’s projected demand growth for the coming decades. According to the latest plan made available by the Alaska Department of Transportation, the airport will see an annual increase of 1.8% in the number of aircraft movements over the next 20 years.
This equates to a 2.3% increase in passenger numbers and a 2.8% increase in cargo movements per year going forward. For context, when the plan was first introduced in 2023, the airport had handled 226,000 aircraft movements, 2.6 million passengers, and 3.6 million tons of cargo in 2022. With the expected growth forecast and the developments planned, the airport is expecting to handle 326,000 aircraft, 4.1 million passengers, and 6.2 million tons of cargo in the year of 2042.
The planned expansion will see the airport’s operational efficiency increase, which will help with the capacity increase projected, but the plan also accounts for improved infrastructure and services to ensure passengers receive an enhanced ground experience at the airport. Alaska News Source reports the following quote from Teri Lindseth, the development manager for Alaska International Airport System:
“The goal with the expansion is to modernize the space, making sure it stays ‘operationally efficient’.”
What Will The Expansion Include?
Published information shows that on the passenger side, the airport’s B Concourse will see an expansion, which includes more gates being added, while also introducing additional TSA screening facilities, to reduce passenger wait times. Furthermore, the concourse will also see increased baggage handling capacity, which will further help reduce passenger wait times on the ground, subsequently improving passenger experience.
It is reported that the expansion inside the terminal will also provide more space for commercial vendors to operate in the area, and outside the terminal will see an additional 268 parking spaces being made available. On the cargo side, the expansion is also critical because ANC handles the second largest amount of cargo (by weight) within the US, after Memphis International Airport(MEM), and ranks among the top four airports in the world in terms of cargo throughput.
As such, it is reported that some of the cargo-related upgrades will begin this summer, which will see enhancements made to the infrastructure. These improvements include more space for cargo aircraft and space being added within the airport’s cargo processing building.
In terms of airside operations, the airport will also make upgrades to its taxiways and other airside infrastructure. Overall, the plan accounts for the airport’s long-term growth forecast, and all the operational complexities and increased demand that come along with it, to ensure the airport’s operations remain efficient, while also delivering a better experience for passengers when arriving, departing, or transiting at the airport.
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Plans Beyond 2042 For Anchorage
It is reported that beyond its current 20-year expansion plan, the airport could potentially have a fourth runway built for further expansion. While this is not part of the above-mentioned plan, it does reportedly state the airport should conduct a further feasibility study before making a decision on the additional runway.
However, based on the airport’s demand-based expansion approach, the airport only has to make this decision as and when the growth demand dictates. Data published by Flightradar24 shows that the airport already has three sets of runways, as detailed in the table below. It is also reported that if an additional runway is to be added, it will be developed towards the south side of the airport. That being said, it is worth noting that runways are a very expensive investment.
|
Runway Number |
Orientation |
Length |
Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
|
07L / 25R |
East West (parallel) |
10,600 feet 3,231 m |
Asphalt |
|
07R / 25L |
12,400 feet 3,779 m |
Concrete/Asphalt |
|
|
15 / 33 |
North South |
10,864 feet 3,311 m |
Asphalt |
As such, getting the necessary approvals to build a new one can be critical. Quite often, the opposition to building a new runway can come externally, from the general public, citing environmental impacts and possibly even land disputes, if the airport grounds have to be expanded. A key example of this is 
London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and the decades it has spent waiting to build a third runway for further expansion, which is still pending further approvals.
