PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle International Airport will get more than $20 million in federal funding for construction of its new terminal.
A package of $20.46 million in congressionally directed spending now needs to be signed by the president. U.S. Sen. Susan M. Collins, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced March 8 she had secured the funding as part of the 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.
The airport unveiled plans in June for a new terminal to replace its 70-year-old structure, which no longer meets FAA standards. The new $30 million, two-story terminal will allow the airport to expand accessibility and services, and will accommodate the greater numbers of people who now use it, making the airport a bigger draw to customers.
“PQI plays a critical role in northern Maine’s infrastructure,” Collins said on March 8, adding the new terminal will meet FAA standards and help attract more travelers and business to Aroostook County.
In the past six years, served by United Airlines, the airport has seen passenger boardings grow from 10,000 to nearly 20,000, the highest number seen in two decades, city officials said recently.
“We are just extremely pleased. It’s fabulous for the area,” Airport Director Scott Wardwell said Tuesday. “Sen. Collins worked on this very hard. WIthout her assistance and this award, I wouldn’t have seen how this project could go forward.”
The airport served 19,254 passengers in 2023, its largest number since 2000, Wardwell said.
The funding is critical to help the facility meet the FAA’s modernization guidelines, he said. The current building is about a third of the size the FAA recommends for the number of passengers Presque Isle serves.
The airport falls under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service, which Congress created in 1978 after airline deregulation to ensure service for smaller communities. United’s two-year contract ends in May, and the U.S. Department of Transportation will choose from four carriers who have bid for services at PQI: United, JetBlue, American Airlines and Boutique Airlines.
The new project will enable the airport to handle more passengers if airlines expand service, Wardwell said.
For instance, JetBlue’s bid includes the use of a 100-passenger jet, possibly moving to a 140-passenger unit. United uses a 50-passenger jet.
The new terminal will be located a bit southeast of the current building. If the legislation is signed into law, the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation need to issue grant agreements to the airport, he said. Once that happens, construction can start.
Air service in Presque Isle began in 1931 with a small hangar and grass runway, owned by the Presque Isle Airport Company, according to Kim Smith of the Presque Isle Historical Society and the city’s public information officer. Flights became more important as the Presque Isle Air Base served the area during World War II. The base closed in 1961.
The current 10,000-square-foot terminal was built in 1954 and had originally been the base’s fire rescue building, Smith said.
The new terminal will be nearly triple the current building’s size at 25,000 to 30,000 square feet. Features will include expanded baggage and office space, a passenger lounge and a new airport ramp. The Presque Isle Air Museum, currently located in the existing terminal, will have a larger space on the building’s second floor.
The Presque Isle City Council in December voted to spend $900,000 to complete the air terminal design. Collins visited the airport last June.
The FAA awarded $7 million toward the new building under its Airport Terminal Program. The Maine Department of Transportation will kick in 2.5 percent, and the Northern Border Regional Commission contributed a $1 million grant.
