Northwest Arkansas National Airport[1] (XNA) in Highfill received preliminary plans for a more than $109.4 million expansion on the west side of the terminal to support growth amid record enplanements.
On Tuesday (Sept. 23), XNA Board of Directors heard early estimates for the 88,939-square-foot West Concourse expansion and approved a $4.15 million contract for Rogers-based Hight Jackson Associates to design, complete construction documents and handle bidding services for the project. The board previously approved Hight Jackson to complete the conceptual design.
Shayan Dehbozorgi, partner at Hight Jackson Associates, presented the preliminary designs and estimates to the board. Plans show the two-level West Concourse will replace existing ground-level gates and comprise seven new gates, resulting in a net gain of five gates. The new gates will support growth and accommodate the larger narrow-body aircraft, which are becoming increasingly prevalent at XNA.
Preliminary designs included several options, such as a patio for viewing airplanes taking off and landing, a mezzanine with seating and private workstations, and an 18,000-square-foot storm shelter that would add more than $3.2 million to the cost estimate.
Construction would take two years to complete. Construction is set to start in September 2026, according to the existing program schedule.
Between January and August, enplanements, or passengers flying out, increased by 13.2% to 831,082 from 734,111 in the same period in 2024. In August, enplanements rose by 8.59% to 108,554 from 99,964 in the same month last year. In 2024, enplanements reached a record 1.14 million, and it was the first year they surpassed 1 million.
CEO Aaron Burkes said enplanements continue to rise each month this year compared to the same months last year.
“Hitting over 125,000 enplanements in June is just phenomenal,” Burkes said. “The throughput numbers still look good for this month as well. It’s a little bit weaker. I think we’re about 9% up.”
He noted that the growth has been slowing this year since enplanements rose by 23% in March from the same month in 2024. Enplanements were up 8.9% in April, 18.6% in May, 15.1% in June and 13.9% in July.
“It’s not necessarily a frightening pattern that we see just a little bit of a dip,” he said. “It may be nothing.” He was unsure if it’s a concerning pattern “because things still look really strong.”
Based on existing growth, Burkes expects enplanements to hit a record of about 1.3 million for 2025. Even if enplanements for the remainder of the year were flat compared to the same months in 2024, enplanements would still total 1.25 million.
“It’s going to be a really strong year, great year,” he said.
From July 2024 to July 2025, XNA’s enplanements compared to those at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock are up 6.1%, according to XNA records. Between January and July, Clinton National Airport’s enplanements fell by 1.5% to 664,645 compared to the same period in 2024. XNA’s enplanements have exceeded Clinton National Airport since September 2024.
From January to August, enplanements at Fort Smith Regional Airport, the state’s third-largest commercial airport, fell by 0.3% to 40,906 from 41,049 in the same period last year.
Following are other items the XNA board approved Tuesday.
• Order to detach from Highfill to be filed with Benton County Court. XNA and Highfill previously approved an agreement to resolve the detachment case. XNA would become detached from Highfill after the county judge signs the order, which could be as early as this week or next week.
• Purchase of nearly 100 acres east of XNA on Norris Road for appraised value, not to exceed $5.5 million. The land is in the planned path for a future runway.
• A 20-year ground lease for PetroPlus LLC to build a convenience store on airport property at Airport Boulevard and Regional Avenue. Plans include a 4,625-square-foot convenience store with 16 pumps.
Related
References
- ^ Northwest Arkansas National Airport (www.flyxna.com)