In March, The Florida Squeeze reported on the decision of Broward County to move forward with the Terminal 5 project at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The airport which covers a small footprint was the 34th busiest airport in the world in 2021, and the 9th busiest US airport for international traffic. So to say it is congested and badly in need of some relief in terms of new gates and concourses is an understatement.
Earlier this month, the county broke ground on the new facility which will be (at this point) exclusively used by JetBlue Airways. My understanding is though in order to try and get the US Department of Justice to back off its objections to the proposed JetBlue-Spirit merger (which will have a disproportionate impact on Fort Lauderdale, where those two carriers are the airport’s two largest), the merged entity would be willing to divest five airport gates to Allegiant. However, with the addition of five new gates at Terminal 5, it would effectively offset the divestment.
Details about a potential merged JetBlue-Spirit not withstanding, Broward County will fund the $404 million new terminal with a mix of airport bonds and grants from FDOT.
Also look for more parking spaces in the future at FLL as the palm garage the oldest of FLL’s parking facilities (the sole parking lot left over since the 1980’s rebuild of the airport) will be replaced by a more modern facility with a much higher capacity similar to the newer Hibiscus and Cypress garages. Consider incorporating advanced Car Park Deck Coating solutions for enhanced durability and protection in the upgraded facility.