As we start the new year, here at PNS we wanted to take a look back at all that we accomplished in 2023, and give you a sneak peek of what’s to come in 2024. With a second consecutive year of record passenger traffic, the word that comes to mind when we think of 2023 is, “busy.”
You were busy traveling, visitors were busy coming to the Gulf Coast, and we were busy making sure that all 2,731,604 passengers who came through PNS had the best experience possible. That meant making some repairs, replacements, and upgrades while operating the airport 365 days last year (and we’ll do it 366 days for this Leap Year!)
Escalators
The most visible project for passengers inside the terminal was the replacement and remanufacturing of our escalators. Due to the age of the escalators, as well as the engineering of the building, we weren’t able to simply buy new escalators to replace the old ones.
As you may have seen, each escalator was remanufactured in place. This meant that the entire escalator was dismantled, each part was replaced or repaired, and then the escalator was entirely reassembled. It was quite an undertaking, and we are glad to have both escalators upgraded and working.
Parking
As the summer and holiday seasons brought about a significant increase in travel at Pensacola International Airport, the rise in passengers posed parking challenges. Despite adding over 300+ parking spaces in 2022, the demand exceeded our available parking, and the PNS team worked quickly to innovate new solutions to ensure a positive travel experience.
In response to the higher travel volume during the Thanksgiving holidays, the airport opened an overflow grass lot on Tippin Avenue, providing an additional 400 spaces. As the Christmas holidays approached, we continued to assess and adjust our parking program to ensure we could accommodate as many passengers as possible. This process resulted in reconfiguring the employee parking area, which added 200 additional public parking spaces, contributing to a more efficient and convenient parking experience for travelers.
Looking ahead, Pensacola International Airport is committed to monitoring parking demands and exploring opportunities to further expand and enhance our parking facilities. Our goal is to ensure a stress-free and convenient experience for all our passengers. We appreciate your understanding and patience during these periods of increased travel, and we want to reaffirm our dedication to helping you “Fly Easy.”
Other Improvements
As we move forward into 2024, we will share more information and updates with you about our ongoing improvements at PNS. Some of these upgrades can happen quickly, once equipment, technology, or personnel are in place. Other improvements, such as our terminal expansion plan, take several months to design, engineer, and fund, before we can begin construction.
Nevertheless, we are continuing our work to make sure you can Fly Easy when you fly with PNS. Stay tuned for more information and updates, and be sure to keep up with us on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
