Financing New Airport Terminal - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Financing New Airport Terminal

Minot's International Airport is maxed out.

In fact, Director Andy Solsvig says he has had to tell airlines that there simply isn't any more room for additional planes to sit at the facility overnight anymore.

There are already four that spend each night in the Magic City.

It is a sign of the record situation there -- but a solution may be just a few years off... finances, however, have to first be understood.

Perry Olson looks at that issue.

Artists renderings of what the next airport might look like show an impressive increase in size and traveler convenience...and a big price tag as well...40 million for the terminal...another 45 for work outside it -- and you hit 85 million...a big number...

(Andy Solsvig - Minot Airport Manager) "We believe that our financial plan is stable..."

And because of that, the project is moving forward. Designs will be complete around April of next year...and the process of building -- and more importantly -- paying for it begins...but it sounds like many checkbooks will be chipping in...

(Andy Solsvig - Minot Airport Manager) "Getting the support of the federal, state, and local and if we can all contribute then we can build the terminal."

Federal dollars do have a limit however...and that limit will leave a hefty chunk left to pay...

(Andy Solsvig - Minot Airport Manager) "There is a cap of 20 million so we can't exceed that cap..."

But Solvig says historically the state has chipped in about 50 percent...and the airport is healthy -- obviously with so much air traffic...the city can bond and get the funds needed...

(Andy Solsvig - Minot Airport Manager) "We have already spent about 15 million of it and with that cap...that leaves us about 50 million dollars that we need to figure out."

He's confident the answers will come...and the passengers will just keep coming. We've already hit a record for boardings in a year -- with three months to go! This terminal is cramped...the next wouldn't be...and would offer room to grow -- lots of it...

(Andy Solsvig - Minot Airport Manager) "If we can do 200 thousand in this facility, we could probably do 500 or 600K in the next one without having to worry about expansion."

In Minot, Perry Olson, KX News.

Solsvig says they are getting so busy at the current terminal that people need to heed the advice of getting there early to check in for flights.

He says they have had instances of passengers missing flights because they simply couldn't get through the massive lines in time -- a problem you might expect in Chicago...that has arrived in Minot as well.