$70M Commercial Terminal Plan Could Take Flight At McKinney National Airport

More than a year after residents voted down a $200M bond to expand McKinney National Airport, city officials are moving forward with plans for a commercial passenger terminal.

The McKinney City Council unanimously approved a rezoning request Tuesday for a $70M project to build a 45K SF passenger terminal on 60 acres on the east side of the airport, Community Impact reported. 

The planned facility would include three gates and five parking positions for aircraft. The project includes utility infrastructure work that could support commercial and general aviation uses.

“It's just to set the stage for the development of aeronautical uses on the east side [of the airport],” McKinney National Airport Director Ken Carley said during the meeting.

Federal low-interest infrastructure loans and grant funding from the McKinney Economic Development Corp. and Community Development Corp. are being targeted to pay for the project, officials said. Once those are secured, Carley said the project could be put out for bids as early as the second quarter. 

The city has received inquiries from airlines about offering service out of McKinney, and Mayor George Fuller said officials are working with some of them. The airport currently offers only general aviation services like private business flights, training flights and medical transport.

“We're tremendously excited about [the planned facility],” McKinney Mayor George Fuller told Community Impact. “It's a project that we've been working on for quite some time. We're not there yet, but we are close, but we're excited about the continued tremendous economic impact that the airport provides for our community.”

The McKinney National Airport contributes more than $299M annually to the region, according to an economic impact study released by the city. That is a 41% increase since the airport’s economic impact was last studied in 2018.

The terminal could begin operations in Q3 2026, with announcements of airlines and routes likely to come six months before that opening.

Work on a separate $24M expansion at the airport is slated to begin this month. The project is set to extend the airport's runway by 500 feet and complete other infrastructure work. When it was announced in October, Carley said the project was part of a long-term strategic plan to help meet future aviation needs. That project is being funded through an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation. 

Almost 59% of McKinney voters opposed the May 2023 bond election that would have given the city $200M to construct a 144K SF commercial passenger terminal. That project would have cost just over $300M, with city officials attempting to tap federal funding to make up the difference. 

The planned 16-gate terminal would have included retail and restaurant space as well as passenger amenities. McKinney officials estimated 533,000 passengers would have departed from the terminal during its first year of service, and Fuller said it could have brought $1B in annual economic impact to the region.