Albany International Airport (ALB)

The Albany International Airport is operated by the Albany County Airport Authority under a 40-year lease with Albany County. The airport serves as the major air center for the Capital Region, Northeastern New York and Western New England. In response to an increase in air traffic, economic development and customer demand, the Albany County Airport Authority embarked on an Airport Improvement Project that included a new terminal, jetways, and Aircraft Control Tower. The $158 million project was funded with Airport Improvement, Passenger Facility Charge and Airport Revenue Funds.

The new terminal, which opened in June 1998, is designed to accommodate 1.5-million enplanements annually. The terminal includes unique restaurants and exciting shops. The terminal also includes the airport Business Center that offers computer workstations, laptop workstations, three conference rooms, Foreign Currency Exchange, and video conferencing facilities. Departure, the airport’s museum shop, features gifts, art and crafts from nearly 40 area museums.

In 1999, the Airport Authority began construction of a 16,000 sq. ft. addition to the new terminal to accommodate Southwest Airlines. The project was completed in 2000 and included the addition of two new dual jet bridges enabling passengers to board and deplane from the front and rear of the aircraft.

The Albany International Airport handles an average of 62 daily commercial arrivals and departures and regulates 1,000 tower operations each day.

Currently, the airport offers parking for over 5,000 vehicles. Early in 1999, the Authority opened a new 1,600-car public parking garage. In May 2000, a new 800-car economy parking lot opened. The E-Lot is served by the Airport Shuttle Bus Service. A new 800-car addition to the existing parking garage opened in November, 2000.