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Tampa International Airport check-in expansion contract approved
The project is scheduled to be completed by late 2029.
Tampa International Airport (TPA) is one step closer to starting a main terminal ticketing level expansion project.
A $25.4 million design and build “Part One” contract with Austin Commercial was approved today by the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA). Established by the 1945 Florida legislature, the organization has jurisdiction and control over publicly owned airports in the county.
“The ticketing level has kind of been in its current configuration since the airport opened in 1971,” said TPA senior manager of communications Joshua Gillin. “Travel has changed and the needs of all of our passengers and airlines have changed. The plan is to modernize it in a fashion that reflects the modern traveler and the experience that they expect.”
According to an airport document, TPA’s 2022 Master Plan Update “recommended expanding and optimizing the ticket level to meet the growth requirements and correct operational deficiencies to accommodate up to 38 million annual passengers.”
Plans include increasing the area by 14,000 square feet. This will make room for 28 new counter locations. Additionally, TPA leaders are interested in “relocating and consolidating the airline ticket offices” to a new 30,000-square-foot space.
The current 135,000-square-foot ticketing level will also be renovated to “accommodate the new counter layouts,” according to an airport document. These components will “significantly improve customer queuing and circulation and incorporate the latest technology.”
A Request for Qualifications for the project was issued in September 2025. In February, the HCAA board approved negotiations with the Dallas-based Austin Commercial, which also has an office in Tampa.
Funding for the initiative was approved by HCAA in September as part of its fiscal year 2026 capital budget. The estimated cost for the project in its entirety, Gillin said, is $285.7 million.
A “Part Two” contract for construction will be awarded in 2027, he added. The expansion is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2029. More details will be announced in the future.
Design services commenced today.
TPA is currently working on additional expansion efforts including the construction of the new 16-gate Airside D. Ground was broken on the $1.5 billion international arrivals and departures facility in December 2024. Estimated to be completed in late 2028, the project will be the first new airside terminal at the airport in approximately 20 years.
