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.

Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) officially opened its $1.3 billion replacement passenger terminal on October 13, 2026, resolving long-standing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety compliance issues while retaining the facility’s historic 14-gate footprint.

The 355,000-square-foot facility, located in the northeast quadrant of the airfield, replaces a 96-year-old building that operated too close to the active runways. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA) announced the opening following an overnight operational transition, with the first departure taking place shortly after 7:00 a.m. local time.

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Operational transition and modern amenities

The transition to the new facility occurred overnight following the closure of the old terminal. On the morning of October 13, 2026, Alaska Airlines (AS) Flight 3401 to Santa Rosa, California, became the first flight to depart from the new gates.

The new terminal retains the airport’s signature outdoor boarding process via airstairs, avoiding the installation of enclosed jet bridges. The passenger experience has been modernized with expanded Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening checkpoints, a single indoor baggage claim area featuring three carousels, and 14 food concessions.

According to project documentation, the building is designed as an all-electric facility, making it one of only two all-electric airport terminals in the United States. Burbank Mayor Tamala Takahashi noted during the October 5, 2026, ribbon-cutting ceremony that the facility brings the airport into a new era with modern amenities and enhanced safety, “all while maintaining the 14-gate airport our community knows.”

Resolving decades of safety and compliance concerns

The opening marks the culmination of a decades-long effort to replace the aging facility, which originally opened in 1930. The 232,000-square-foot legacy terminal faced long-standing safety concerns due to its proximity to the runways, rendering it non-compliant with current FAA safety standards.

To resolve these compliance issues, the new terminal was constructed on the opposite side of the airfield at the intersection of Winona Avenue and Hollywood Way. The project, known as “Elevate BUR,” was approved by Burbank voters in 2016 to address FAA standards, seismic codes, and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility.

The development agreement strictly limited the project to a replacement rather than an expansion, capping the facility at 14 gates. Hollywood Burbank Airport serves the greater Los Angeles area and has built a reputation for its convenience and smaller scale compared to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The airport continues to serve the region with flights operated by Southwest Airlines (WN), American Airlines (AA), Delta Air Lines (DL), United Airlines (UA), Frontier Airlines (F9), Allegiant Air (G4), Breeze Airways (MX), and JetBlue (B6), alongside Alaska Airlines.

Project execution and future demolition

Construction of the new terminal spanned 33 months. On May 6, 2024, the BGPAA unanimously approved a guaranteed maximum price of $1.11 billion for the design and construction phases. The total estimated cost of the replacement project reached $1.3 billion.

The design-build team was led by Holder, Pankow, TEC, Joint Venture (HPTJV), with architectural services provided by Corgan and CannonDesign. Jacobs served as the project manager.

“The GMP is in line with projections and the result of many years of hard work. Collaboration between the cities, staff, design-build team, and our airline partners will result in a safer terminal that will enhance the quality of life and economic vitality of the region,” BGPAA President Felicia Williams stated following the approval of the construction costs.

With the new terminal now operational, attention turns to the decommissioning of the legacy site. According to BGPAA commission documents, the deadline for substantial completion of the remaining terminal relocation project, which includes the demolition of the existing 1930s building, is set for October 1, 2027.