SEATAC, Wash. — Major upgrades to improve travelers’ experiences and increase revenue at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are on the way after the Port of Seattle Commission approved the nearly $400 million project cost on Tuesday.
The Concourse C Building Expansion (CCE) project will add four floors between Concourses C and D on the east side of the airport.
The commission approved an additional $213 million in funding for the concourse expansion project on Sept. 26, adding to the previously approved $185.1 million. With a 5-0 vote, the commission authorized bringing the budget total of $399 million.
"We're going to add four new floors to the space here, growing up because we can't, with our space, grow out," said Perry Cooper, media relations manager for the Port of Seattle.
The creation of the project was in response to the need for additional dining and retail capacity, office space and premium lounge space at the airport, according to the project memo. New amenities that will be included with the expansion are new restrooms, an interfaith prayer and meditation room, a nursing room, an outdoor public lookout and more.
The expansion includes a more than 20,000-square-foot Alaska Airlines lounge, according to the project website.
"The C Concourse Expansion rethinks the airport experience where design creates an intuitive journey, a sense of calm, and climate consciousness," the website stated.
Construction for the expansion project is set to begin in early 2024 with an expected completion date in mid-2026 — in time for the FIFA World Cup games in Seattle.
The north half of the C Concourse will be blocked off in early 2024.
"We'll end up closing the dining and retail here along the north side ... and build up the steel for the four floors," Cooper said. "It's going to be pretty tight so we appreciate everybody's understanding that the end result, you're really going to like."
This project is part of Upgrade SEA, a campaign to modernize the airport and meet the growing traveler demands. The CCE is one of the most sustainable projects and will be entirely electric.
With the expansion, the goals of the 226,530-square-foot space are to increase airport revenue through dining and retail offerings, increase leasable office space and add lounge capacity.
In 2022, the airport saw 45.9 million passengers, which is 11% fewer passengers than recorded in 2019. The airport is expecting to reach pre-pandemic passenger numbers in 2024.
By comparison in 2013, Sea-Tac Airport saw 34.8 million passengers, recorded on both domestic and international flights, according to the Passenger, Cargo and Operations summary from 2013.
Upon its completion, the Concourse C Expansion project is expected to earn $21 million in non-airline revenue by 2031, according to the commission’s project memo.