Tampa International Airport’s Red Express Overhaul Breaks New Ground, Paving The Way For The 16-gate Airside D Opening In 2028

Published on August 12, 2025 |

Tampa International Airport marked a awesome milestone pinch nan opening of its caller Red Express Curbsides, celebrated pinch a ribbon-cutting ceremonial connected Monday. This important upgrade enhances nan airport’s Red Side, providing travelers pinch an improved experience.

Airport officials, joined by organization partners, gathered to inaugurate nan redesigned postulation lanes and building, located connected nan northbound broadside of nan Main Terminal. While immoderate last activity is expected to beryllium completed later this month, nan Red Express Curbsides will beryllium afloat accessible to nan nationalist starting astatine 12:01 a.m. connected Tuesday, August 12.

Mirroring nan occurrence of nan highly acclaimed Blue Express Curbsides, nan caller Red Express Curbsides are designed for passengers walking pinch physics boarding passes and nary checked luggage. This characteristic allows travelers to skip nan Ticketing level erstwhile departing and nan Baggage Claim level erstwhile arriving, offering a quicker and much convenient process. Introduced pinch nan Blue Express Curbsides successful November 2021, this invention has proven to beryllium a celebrated summation for passengers astatine TPA.

“Less than 4 years aft nan Blue Express curbs opened, we spot that astir half of our guests flying connected Blue Side airlines usage them,” Airport CEO Michael Stephens said. “Now we will beryllium offering nan aforesaid invention and ratio to our travelers connected nan Red Side, pinch this bright, cleanable and thoroughly modern building.”  

Tampa International Airport’s Red Express task introduces a important upgrade, featuring nan summation of 4 caller Arrivals lanes and 4 caller Departures lanes, efficaciously doubling nan number of Express lanes from 8 to 16. These enhancements purpose to trim postulation congestion and amended nan recreation acquisition for passengers flying pinch airlines based connected nan airport’s Red Side, including Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Breeze Airways, Avelo Airlines, British Airways, Frontier, Discover Airlines, Edelweiss Air, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and WestJet.

In total, complete 65,000 quadrate feet of further abstraction has been added, which includes an expanded third-floor transportation level successful nan Main Terminal and a caller shuttle lobby for nan upcoming Airside D. The revamped area besides features striking nationalist creation installations from renowned artists Claudia Comte, Jason Bruges, and Janaina Tschape. The building began pinch nan demolition of nan airport’s 1970s-era Administration Building, followed by nan installation of nan caller lanes and building.

To assistance drivers, caller “Red Express” signage will beryllium installed, guiding them to either nan Express lanes aliases nan modular full-service lanes for drop-offs and pick-ups. Additionally, ride-sharing services for illustration Uber and Lyft will connection some Red Express and Blue Express arsenic pick-up and drop-off options, depending connected nan traveler’s location.

“The thought that has gone into this project, not conscionable from nan creation standpoint but from nan conception of nan Express Curbs, going backmost to nan readying stages, is conscionable amazing,” TPA Chief Development Officer Smitha Radhakrishnan said. “All you person to do is look astir and you spot nan impeccable execution of that very concept, and to recognize that our passengers are going to usage this amenity and admit it for decades to come.”

The completion of nan Red Express task marks nan conclusion of Phase 2 of Tampa International Airport’s three-phase Master Plan, a maturation strategy that was first introduced successful 2012. Other notable Phase 2 achievements see nan caller Central Utility Plant and nan SkyCenter One agency complex.

Looking ahead, Phase 3 focuses connected nan improvement of nan 16-gate Airside D, which began building successful December and is slated to unfastened successful precocious 2028.

The Red Express project, which encompasses nan caller building, expanded postulation lanes, an upgraded walkway to nan Airport Marriott hotel, and a shuttle station, carries an finance of $109 million. Hensel Phelps and HNTB are nan design-build squad for some nan Red and Blue Express Curbsides, arsenic good arsenic for Airside D.