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Expecting nearly 30,000 passengers during the 2025 NFL Draft, Appleton International Airport officials said the next phase of their $70 million concourse expansion will open ahead of the football event.

The airport will open the first phase of the concourse expansion before the NFL Draft, said Abe Weber, the airport director at Appleton International Airport. The project features new gate space, three new boarding bridges, new restrooms with a service animal relief area, multi-user restrooms, sensory rooms, a quiet room and new seating at the ATW Biergarten, he added.

“As soon as we open phase one, we’ll get started on phase two, connecting the existing concourse with the new concourse, that portion of the project should take us through the end of this year and into the first part of 2026,” Weber said.

Miron Construction won the bid and broke ground in November 2024. The project is a 60,000-square-foot extension of its current footprint with modern features to improve passenger experience and accessibility. With the airport hitting 10 boarding gates, Weber said this will be the busiest airport in northeast Wisconsin.

ATW will see 1,417 flights for the month in April, a 17% increase over April 2024, Weber said. When the NFL Draft arrives from April 23-27, there will be 272 flights and the airport expects nearly 30,000 passengers coming through its doors, he added.

Currently the concourse expansion cost is $70 million and was supported with more than 12 funding sources across federal, state and local programs, Weber said. The airport itself contributed nearly $25 million to the project. Other large contributors include the Federal Aviation Administration discretionary grant program with around $17 million, Outagamie County with a $10 million investment and the state of Wisconsin provided $7 million in funding.

After being selected by a sustainable pilot program in 2011, the airport has two sustainability goals to reduce energy use by 70% in its passenger terminal and to offset passenger terminal energy consumption by 50% by using renewable energy sources, said Theresa Lehman, the director of sustainable services at Miron. The airport wants to hit both goals by 2030 even as it continues to grow, she added.

The terminal has a 70% energy savings target compared to code compliant buildings and offsets energy use with a roof-mounted photovoltaic system, Lehman said. The rest of the building’s energy needs would be bought from offsite renewable resources, making it a Class D zero-emissions building, she added.

The ATW was given federal funding for a PV system, Lehman noted. The new addition will bid a roof-mounted PV system on April 17.

Sustainable features include a white roof to reduce the heat island effect, low flow plumbing fixtures, photovoltaic systems, use of natural sunlight and advanced ventilation systems. There are several WELL Building Feature additions such as live trees and indoor plantings to create a park-like setting, she added.

Mead & Hunt served as the LEED project administrator and commissioning agent to help deliver sustainable features. Miron also had a goal to divert 75% of construction and demolition debris from the landfill.

The first phase of concourse expansion is expected to wrap up by April 30, which includes three new gates for NFL Draft attendees, Lehman said. The second phase will start April 24 and will be completed in June 2025, she added.

Phase three will start in May and will be completed by December 2025, Lehman said. Phase four will start in October and will be completed by December 2025.

As part of a sustainability master plan goal to reduce energy use in the passenger terminal by 70% in five years, the airport’s next goal is to install a vertical, closed-loop geothermal borefield for the passenger terminal, Lehman noted.

The geothermal system would produce roughly 1.3 million kilowatt hours each year for cooling and around 1.5 million kWh per year for heating, Lehman said. Through the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, the project would lift 1,984 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is equal to more than 400 cars driven each year or for more than 4.9 million miles, Lehman noted.

And construction will continue for other parts of the airport after the NFL Draft. Weber said additional projects will expand ATW’s front drive lanes and the airport is designing an expansion to ticket counters and outbound baggage areas.

Outside at the future airport terminal. The aggressive extension includes 60,000 square feet of new airport space with sustainable and inclusive features. The $70 million project includes federal, local and state funding and money from the airport itself. (Photo courtesy of Appleton International Airport)