Omaha has never quite been comfortable with the label “boom town,” a term incongruous with the city’s steady-as-she-goes Midwestern jib of building something that lasts, brick by brick. But one glance at what gleams downtown, and the many things being built and improved throughout the community reveal a larger truth about the city’s unprecedented growth and development, stretching back at least three decades.
The recently announced expansion of Eppley Airfield’s terminal is particularly rife with possibilities for the city’s future. Not only airport officials, but leaders within the business, tourism, and political realms are also enthused about what the improvements will mean for their respective agendas—boosting visitors, spurring new business, attracting new residents, and burnishing Omaha’s brand as the city you don’t expect.
“I like to say to people that Eppley is a place for first impressions and welcome-backs,” said Mayor Jean Stothert. “It’s where visitors first see the friendly spirit of Omaha and our people. I think it’s so important that what we’re doing with the new terminal reflects the needs of today’s travelers while providing flexibility to continue and to grow and expand in the long term.”
Some projects dazzle with the shine of something new or the scope of the cost, and Eppley’s terminal expansion is no exception, but look deeper and the underpinnings of the project are even more exciting. The airport isn’t struggling when it comes to traffic, coming off its second-busiest year ever in 2023, when it welcomed 5 million passengers. This underscores the improvements as being as much about efficiently and comfortably handling current traffic as creating elbow room for the future.
“When the project is done in 2028, it’s going to look and feel unlike anything we have had here at Eppley Airfield,” said Steve McCoy, chief information and development officer for the Omaha Airport Authority (OAA). “Not only are we going to be growing in space, adding new amenities, and having a more efficient experience that caters to both business and leisure travelers, it’s just going to be a total transformation for the passenger experience.
“We’re not just building it for the sake of building it; we’re building it based on a level of demand and need for air transportation here in Omaha. It’s not only going to meet the needs of today, but it’s going to set the airport up so that it can continue to grow and meet long-term travel needs here in Omaha and really set up Eppley Airfield for decades to come.”
Deborah Ward, executive director of Visit Omaha, the city’s official tourism authority, said the ambitious project represents a well-placed investment.
“Omaha’s airport is a huge selling point when we try to recruit convention and event business to our city,” she said. “Meeting event organizers love the fact that our airport is easy to navigate, we’re just four miles from the downtown convention center, and you can usually get to Omaha in two to three hours from about anywhere in the country. The airport expansion adds to all of the major developments happening to our city; from a tourism perspective, we have a whole new city to sell to convention event planners and the airport expansion is a huge piece of that.”
The improvements are also expected to play a wider role in the continuing effort to brand Omaha, expanding its image beyond college baseball, Warren Buffett, beef, and a zoo.
“I think we’re growing a reputation as a cultural oasis on the plains,” Ward said. “We surprise people; we’re still a young convention city. We’ve only been doing conventions and events at a really high level for 20 years. That’s really young. The airport expansion, adding significant traveler amenities and two international gates, really helps sell Omaha’s story.”
It’s been just shy of a century since 200 acquired acres on the haunches of the Missouri River began serving Omaha under the utilitarian moniker Municipal Landing Field. From the start, management of the asset was practical with improvements coming along only when needed. The first terminal, for example, wouldn’t be built for almost a decade when the facility was known as American Legion Municipal Airport.
Recognizing Omaha’s ideal positioning as a prime stopover location serving the postwar surge in cross-country flights, the airport enjoyed major expansion to handle growing demand, which hit 40 flights per day by the late 1950s. In 1960, the facility was renamed Eppley Airfield after hotel mogul and former barnstormer Eugene Eppley, whose foundation donated $1 million to the airport by which a new terminal was built and runways extended to handle jets in 1961.
It goes without saying even a visionary such as Eppley and city leaders of the day could scarcely imagine what the amenity would grow into—2,650 acres, about 70 daily departures by 8 carriers, including 31 non-stop destination airports—or the scope of the passenger improvements to come.
“The current terminal was redeveloped in the mid ’80s,” McCoy said. “A lot of the passenger processing functions of the airport predate the modern travel experience and the modern traveler’s expectations, as well as predating 9/11 security considerations. Those are all things that are being taken into consideration with this new development.”
Those improvements, spelled out via the project’s announcement in January, include the creation of a single, unified concourse expanded from 375,000 square feet to about 646,000 square feet with enhanced TSA operations. Arrival/departure gates will expand to 22, including two for international flights with accompanying Customs and Border Protection arrivals halls for international passenger processing. Additional retail/restaurant space, enhanced accessibility, and improved people movement inside the terminal round out the forthcoming $950-million worth of terminal improvements.
Arguably as impressive as the size of the project is how it’s being paid for, McCoy said. As a nontaxing authority, OAA doesn’t collect local or state tax funds and is paying for the improvements through a combination of user fees, airport revenues, future airport bonds, and federal grants. The organization has been busy on the latter point, landing a $5.37-million federal grant in January to help build the $65-million all-weather canopy currently being installed over the terminal drive, a project separate to the other improvements. In March, an additional $7-million federal grant was announced, to be applied to the terminal project itself.
“This kind of investment by the airport authority underscores Omaha’s commitment to collective progress and a belief in its future,” said Heath Mello, president and CEO of Greater Omaha Chamber. “This substantial investment reflects a shared vision for growth and the community’s confidence in enhancing the city’s appeal.”
Mello described the improvements as a game-changer both in the recruitment and expansion of businesses as well as a powerful lure for permanent residents.
“Eppley Airfield’s role in attracting new businesses to Omaha is pivotal; it acts as a critical infrastructural node that offers connectivity and accessibility,” he said. “As the airport undergoes improvements, it will provide enhanced services and facilities, presenting Omaha as a forward-thinking city that is connected and values growth. The airport modernization project will assure prospective companies of a supportive environment for logistics and travel, essential factors in today’s globalized business landscape.
“Airport upgrades are also vital in attracting residents to the Omaha area, as they signal a thriving, accessible city invested in progress. Enhanced air services improve quality of life and business prospects, making Omaha an attractive place for potential new residents seeking convenience and opportunity. These improvements can be a decisive factor for those considering relocation for personal or professional reasons.”
For her part, Mayor Stothert summed up the project as the latest chapter in an Omaha success story still being written.
“When I moved here about 30 years ago, there was no CHI Arena and Convention Center. There was no Charles Schwab Stadium, there was no Bob Kerrey Bridge or Gallup University or a Holland Performing Arts Center or a Steelhouse or the Luminarium or River Front Park. To me that is pretty amazing; we have had a true record of progress and success that I think we can all be proud of, and this airport is certainly part of that.
“I give a talk to groups in the community where I explain that cities never sit still. Cities either progress and move forward or they decline and fall behind. We want to be that city that continues to progress and move forward.”
For more information, visit flyoma.com/omaha-airport-authority/terminal-modernization-program.
