Palm Springs International Airport Celebrates $36M Expansion

PALM SPRINGS, CA — A $36 million project at Palm Springs International Airport was celebrated Monday with a ribbon-cutting by city officials.

The completed project included renovation and expansion of the airport's ticket lobby and the installation of a new baggage handling system.

The project began in February 2020 and nearly doubled the size of the ticket lobby. The new baggage system increases the capacity and processing speed of checked bags at the airport, officials said.

Another project currently underway at the airport is the replacement of all passenger boarding bridges. The $7 million project began in June and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Monday's celebration follows news that the airport broke a passenger record in July.

"Total passenger counts for July reached 129,463, or a 32 percent increase over the previous record set in July 2019 when 97,834 total passengers utilized the airport," airport officials reported.

The airport started its return to pre-pandemic levels in May and has exceeded pre-pandemic numbers throughout the summer.

"July 2021 passenger numbers are up 283 percent compared to July 2020, however, 2021 year-to-date passenger numbers are still lagging 2019 by 37 percent," officials said.

“This summer has been one of the busiest we’ve ever had at the airport, and we expect this
rebound to continue with more available flights and ten new routes starting this fall,” said Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege. “With the completion of the ticket lobby renovations and the installation of a new baggage system, we are improving the airport user experience and accommodating future demand."

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