AVOCA, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— New state funding is cleared for takeoff in NEPA.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is receiving millions of dollars to improve your travel experience.
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The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport received 6.2 million dollars in state funding for expansions and upgrades.
Airport officials say these changes are going to make your travel experience much smoother and safer.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is about to take off in a new direction, thanks to state funding.
The money will go toward expanding parts of the airport and modernizing the TSA screening area, changes airport officials say are much needed as more travelers are flying in and out of the region.
"We're actually going to be expanding the terminal building so people can flow through easier if there are problems. And we have an operations staff that's going to be able to allow people to go from here to there and to go over to the restaurant when they need to do that as well," explained Carl Beardsley, Executive Director, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
The upgrades are part of a larger effort by the Shapiro administration to strengthen infrastructure across Pennsylvania, with this airport receiving the largest allocation in the funding round.
Beardsley says it's not just about infrastructure, but improving the overall passenger experience.
"We're a customer service airport, and we always strive to provide all that information to the people the community who are flying in and out, or you might have people who never have flown before, and this will give them an easier time when they do it," said Beardsley.
The airport has seen steady growth in passenger traffic, and Beardsley says the expansion is a necessary step forward.
"We've had a number of people, a number of the airlines, who are telling us that their flights are full, that way we stay ahead of all the additional people that we haven't had in the past because you have to expand, if you're not going to expand, then it's not going to work," voiced Beardsley.
Construction timelines haven't exactly been finalized yet. Still, officials say they are hoping to get things started and moving by the end of the year, and will keep their travelers informed throughout the entire process.
