Oklahoma City officials have unveiled a 25-year master plan for Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) designed to quadruple annual passenger capacity to 20 million. The phased expansion aims to accommodate rapid regional growth and prepare the facility for international traffic ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Announced on October 13 in a city press release, the “Cleared for Takeoff” initiative outlines a demand-driven approach to infrastructure investment. Rather than relying on strict calendar dates, major construction phases will be triggered by specific passenger volume milestones, ensuring the airport scales its landside and airside facilities in step with actual utilization.

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Phased infrastructure triggers

Will Rogers International Airport currently serves a baseline of 4.6 million passengers annually. The new master plan establishes a roadmap to handle future demand through three primary expansion phases.

Phase 1 will activate when annual passenger traffic approaches the 6 million mark. This initial stage focuses heavily on landside improvements, including the addition of 1,538 new parking spaces housed within a five-level structure. Phase 2 will commence when the airport reaches 8 million annual passengers. This stage includes an approximate 550-foot extension of the curbside frontage and expands the terminal to support between 24 and 26 gates. Notably, this phase incorporates at least one designated position for widebody aircraft.

The fully realized Phase 3 vision scales the facility to a total of 40 gates and widens the curbside layout to six lanes. Director of Airports Jeff Mulder stated in the release that the plan outlines the trajectory for long-term growth.

“This is a monumental step toward balancing our landside facilities with airside terminal capacity, elevating passenger processing, and ensuring Oklahoma City remains seamlessly connected to the global economy,” Mulder said.

Preparing for international traffic and LA28

The long-term expansion strategy follows a 25% increase in passenger traffic at the airport over the past decade, according to reporting by KGOU. Local leaders are prioritizing infrastructure to maintain momentum in air service development.

“We have to plan and prepare for that growth at our airport, because we never want to decline new air service due to inadequate infrastructure,” Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt told KGOU.

While the major terminal expansions are tied to future passenger milestones, several near-term upgrade projects are already underway. Terminal flooring upgrades began in September 2026, and a rehabilitation of Terminal Drive is scheduled to commence in mid-October 2026. The airport anticipates completing restroom renovations by December 2027, followed by the conclusion of the flooring upgrades in January 2028 and the Terminal Drive project in February 2028.

These immediate improvements align with Oklahoma City’s preparations to host the canoe slalom and softball events for the LA28 Olympic Games, scheduled for July 14 to 30, 2028. To support the anticipated influx of international visitors, the airport recently constructed a new customs area. This facility will process the airport’s first nonstop international flights, which are expected to launch in November 2026.

AirPro News analysis

The inclusion of widebody gates and international customs facilities at Will Rogers International Airport reflects a broader strategic shift among mid-sized US regional airports. As secondary cities experience sustained population and economic growth, local aviation authorities are investing heavily to bypass traditional hub-and-spoke constraints and secure direct international connectivity. For Oklahoma City, the impending 2028 Olympic events serve as a catalyst to accelerate these capabilities, positioning the airport to handle larger aircraft and diverse global traffic long after the games conclude.

Aviation technology specialist SITA has agreed to acquire Collins Aerospace Airport Solutions, absorbing the terminal operations, passenger processing, and baggage management business unit from RTX Corporation. The acquisition consolidates a highly competitive sector of the aviation IT market, bringing a major portfolio of airport resource management software under the Geneva-based company’s umbrella.

Announced on October 15, 2026, the transaction expands SITA’s capabilities in delivering integrated technology solutions for airports and airlines globally. The deal encompasses Collins Aerospace’s physical passenger touchpoints, including check-in systems, self-service kiosks, and automated bag drops, alongside the back-end networks that power them.

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Integrating passenger touchpoints

Collins Aerospace Airport Solutions provides critical infrastructure for airports worldwide. The acquired portfolio includes the MUSE common-use platform and its virtualized counterpart vMUSE, which allow multiple airlines to share the same check-in desks and gate equipment. The deal also includes vPad biometric kiosks, VeriPax passenger validation systems, and AirVue flight information display systems (FIDS).

In a press release issued today, SITA Chief Executive Officer David Lavorel stated that the acquisition extends the company’s offerings and reinforces its role as a primary technology partner for the aviation sector. He noted that as air transport grows, the industry requires technology and innovation to connect each part of the passenger journey so disruptions can be prevented or resolved quickly.

Nathalie Altwegg, SITA Senior Vice President for Airports, emphasized the operational integration required by modern airport operators.

“Ask an airport what it wants from a technology provider, and the answer is a trusted partner. That means understanding its environment, working closely with its teams, and being there when support is needed.”

The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Financial terms and the exact deal value have not been publicly disclosed by SITA or RTX Corporation.

A history of airport IT consolidation

The smart airport and passenger processing market is undergoing rapid modernization, driven by demand for contactless biometric solutions and automated baggage systems. Airports are increasingly relying on these technologies to handle growing passenger traffic efficiently without requiring new physical terminal construction.

SITA has actively expanded its footprint in this sector through targeted acquisitions. In 2024, the company acquired major self-bag drop vendor Materna IPS to build out its passenger processing portfolio. The integration of Collins Aerospace Airport Solutions represents the next phase of this expansion strategy.

Competitors in the airport systems market are making similar moves to capture market share. In April 2026, Amadeus announced its intent to acquire IDEMIA Public Security for €1.2 billion to scale its own biometric identity capabilities. The market is now largely defined by these large-scale integrators competing to offer end-to-end solutions from curb to gate.

Infrastructure resilience and shared networks

The consolidation of airport IT systems also highlights the critical nature of shared infrastructure. Common-use platforms like MUSE are essential for daily airport operations, but their widespread adoption creates centralized points of vulnerability.

In September 2025, the Collins Aerospace MUSE platform experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted check-in and boarding systems at major European airports. The incident underscored the operational risks associated with shared airport IT networks. Bringing these systems under SITA’s management consolidates the oversight of these vital networks, placing the responsibility for cybersecurity and system resilience squarely on the Swiss technology provider.

AirPro News analysis

The acquisition of Collins Aerospace Airport Solutions by SITA signals a tightening concentration of power in the airport IT sector. With Amadeus absorbing IDEMIA and SITA integrating both Materna IPS and now the Collins airport unit, the market is increasingly dominated by a duopoly of massive integrators capable of offering comprehensive biometric and baggage solutions.

For airports and airlines, this consolidation promises more seamless integration across the passenger journey, potentially reducing the friction of managing multiple vendor contracts. However, it also raises the stakes for system reliability. As fewer vendors control the critical infrastructure of global air travel, any localized software failure or cyber incident has the potential to cascade across multiple airports and operators simultaneously.

Aviation Capital Group (ACG) has finalized a firm order for 75 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft, securing delivery slots between 2032 and 2035 in the largest single transaction in the lessor’s nearly 40-year history.

The agreement, announced in a press release on October 16, 2026, brings the Newport Beach, California-based company’s total historical commitments for the A320neo Family to 190 aircraft. The order provides ACG with conversion rights across the aircraft family, allowing the lessor to adapt its portfolio to shifting airline demand over the next decade.

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Securing narrowbody capacity into the 2030s

The 75-aircraft commitment significantly expands ACG’s backlog with the European manufacturer. Following this transaction, the lessor holds 115 outstanding orders for the A320neo Family. As of June 30, 2026, ACG reported 118 A320neo Family aircraft in its active fleet.

Thomas Baker, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aviation Capital Group, stated that the company’s portfolio strategy focuses on new-technology narrowbody aircraft that are most in demand with airlines globally. He characterized the record order as a statement of confidence in the long-term future of air travel and in the company’s role as a conduit between airlines, aircraft, and capital.

The A320neo Family offers a minimum 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, along with a 50 percent noise reduction compared to previous-generation single-aisle aircraft. The program has secured more than 20,400 orders globally.

Rob Downes, Chief OEM Officer at ACG, noted that the aircraft family remains highly sought-after among airline customers for both replacement and growth requirements. The new order extends the lessor’s delivery pipeline into the mid-2030s.

The relationship between the two companies spans nearly two decades. Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Vice President of Sales for the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus, highlighted that the partnership dates back to 2007 when ACG placed its first order with the manufacturer.

Corporate restructuring and leasing market demand

Founded in 1989, ACG is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation. The lessor manages a portfolio of over 500 aircraft leased to approximately 85 to 90 airlines across 50 countries. On August 12, 2026, the company reported second-quarter financial results showing total revenues of $668 million for the first half of the year, total assets of $14.6 billion, and available liquidity of $6.6 billion. The company also recently relocated its global headquarters to a modernized facility in Newport Beach on June 15, 2026.

The record Airbus order arrives during a period of significant corporate transition for the lessor. On August 3, 2026, Tokyo Century Corporation announced a binding memorandum of understanding to transfer a 50 percent ownership interest in ACG’s direct parent company to ITOCHU Corporation for approximately $1.9 billion. The transaction, expected to close in November 2026 subject to regulatory approvals, will shift ACG to a 50:50 joint management structure between the two Japanese conglomerates.

The aircraft leasing sector is currently experiencing robust demand driven by a global shortage of new aircraft and sustained post-pandemic air travel demand. Lessors are placing large orders to secure delivery slots well into the next decade. ACG competes with major independent lessors such as AerCap, SMBC Aviation Capital, Avolon, and Air Lease Corporation.

AirPro News analysis

We view the timing of this record order as a direct reflection of ACG’s impending joint ownership structure under Tokyo Century and ITOCHU. The strategic partnership with ITOCHU is explicitly aimed at scaling ACG’s combined leasing business into one of the world’s top five by fleet size. By locking in 75 delivery slots in the highly constrained 2032 to 2035 window, ACG is executing on that growth mandate before the acquisition even closes.

Furthermore, securing A320neo Family positions into the mid-2030s is a defensive necessity in the current leasing environment. With Airbus production slots largely sold out for the remainder of the decade, lessors without guaranteed future pipelines risk losing market share to competitors who can offer airlines guaranteed lift. This order ensures ACG will have the industry’s most liquid asset class available to offer customers during a period when narrowbody capacity is expected to remain tight.