SALT LAKE CITY — Before the kickoff to summer travel season during Memorial Day Weekend, the Salt Lake City International Airport and Delta Air Lines unveiled five new gates in an effort to serve even more customers.
The new gates are located on the eastern side of Concourse A and are the first half of the bigger Concourse A-east project overall.
At a grand opening Tuesday morning, Salt Lake City leaders, including Mayor Erin Mendenhall, as well as airport and Delta representatives cut a cake before pulling back a curtain to unveil the new gates.
And it’s now open & official! Salt Lake Mayor Erin Mendenhall, along with Airport & Delta Airline officials, opening the brand new Concourse A of Salt Lake International Airport, 5 new gates now operational with remaining gates & restaurants opening later this summer & fall pic.twitter.com/hwscNmaKvd
— scott mckane (@macfox13) May 16, 2023
"This airport is going to the next level," Mendenhall said. "With every one of these openings, we make Salt Lake, this region, more accessible and it is a very attractive place for people all over the world to visit and it's getting easier and easier to do so."
Later this summer, four more gates will open in the terminal and in October, 13 gates additional gates will be unveiled, bringing the total number of gates in the Concourse A-east to 22.
"With these next 5 gates that we opened this morning and the rest of the terminal that we will open later this year, we welcome the world in an even better way," Mendenhall said.
The new gates will house Delta Air Lines, which recently extended its lease in the airport for another 20 years.
"We're proud to further cement our position as a global carrier in Salt Lake City," said Adam Ryan, Managing Director for Delta Air Lines. "Earlier this year, extending our lease agreement to 2044 and increased our commitment from 55 gates to 66 once the project is completed."
The added gates come "just in time," Ryan explained, as the travel industry gears up for a busy summer.
"We're ready for a busy travel season as it approaches and thankful to all the customers who will be joining us," he said.
The first flight out of the new gates was right on time as passengers flooded into the area moments after the unveiling to catch a flight to Atlanta.
But before it was business as usual in Utah's largest airport, Mendenhall recognized the work of many who have been hard at work to make the unveiling possible.
"Thank you, most of all, to all of you in the safety vests who painted, driven a screw, driven a forklift, raised a beam, finished drywall, and laid this beautiful terrazzo flooring for us," she reflected. "Well done and let's keep going."
