South Bend airport welcomes larger aircraft after $105 million project finished

SOUTH BEND — More large commercial jets can now land at South Bend International Airport with the completion of a $105 million taxiway bravo realignment and ramp reconstruction project that the airport unveiled Sept. 30.

The Federal Aviation Administration granted $96 million of those dollars, and the remaining $9 million were split between the Indiana Department of Transportation and the airport itself, airport officials said during a celebration and ribbon cutting.

The project took seven-years to complete and occurred within five construction seasons to minimize disrupting flight operations, airport officials said.

During the reconstruction, a press release said, more than 920,000 cubic yards of soil was excavated, more than 133,000 tons of asphalt was laid, 137,000 feet of electrical and communication wires were installed, and 475 airfield light fixtures were changed from incandescent to LED. Six new taxiways were also created.

Before the project started, every gate could accept regional-sized aircrafts, but only two gates could sustain larger commercial aircrafts, Vice President of Operations Patrick Mac Carthaigh said. But now, thanks to the reconstruction that lowered the terminal ramp by approximately four feet, all nine gates can accept large mainline aircrafts from large commercial airlines.