North Platte Regional Airport Celebrates New Passenger Terminal Grand Opening

A New Era of Air Travel Begins in Western Nebraska

The North Platte Airport Authority celebrated the grand opening of a new passenger terminal on Aug. 10 at the North Platte Regional Airport. The $29.6 million terminal’s ribbon cutting was attended by numerous local, state and federal leaders, including Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and U.S. Sens. Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer. The leaders praised the terminal’s role in supporting economic growth across western Nebraska while enhancing the passenger experience. 

Serving a 15-county service area, the new terminal meets the needs of modern travelers with jet bridge boarding, updated restrooms, natural light and food options. It also features modern, energy-efficient building systems, a mass timber structure, and cross-laminated timber roofing, leading to reduced embodied carbon compared to steel construction. Other sustainability features include the capture, storage and reuse of stormwater runoff to satisfy non-potable water demand, photovoltaic skylight glass to provide renewable energy for building systems and a geothermal heating and cooling system to reduce energy demand.

HDR has assisted the airport authority since the project’s beginnings, including co-authoring the authority’s FY2024 Airport Terminals Program application and advocating for the project with local, state and federal leaders. In total, the airport authority secured $21.8 million in federal funds for the new terminal, which is several times higher than the airport’s annual budget.

“Projects like this succeed because of strong partnerships and a shared commitment to creating something that will serve the community for decades to come,” said HDR Project Manager Ryan Hanson. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to support the North Platte Airport Authority throughout this journey and congratulate them on delivering a terminal that enhances the travel experience.”

HDR also helped the airport authority modify its design, project delivery strategy and provided engineering and architecture support throughout construction.

“This project is a great example of how our engineering and architecture experts can work together to deliver a beautiful and modern structure for our airport clients,” HDR Aviation Director Bill Peduzzi said. “We’re proud to have worked alongside the North Platte Airport Authority to deliver a transformative project for western Nebraska.”

About HDR  
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.