Oregon Public Broadcasting

The Redmond Airport serves much of central Oregon. Now it’s finished an expansion it started almost ten years ago.  

As Amelia Templeton reports that is good news for airport visitors who want to sit, stand, or use the restroom.

Construction is almost finished and the building now boasts solar panels, a recyclable carpet, and a quilt celebrating the Redmond centennial.

But airport manager Carrie Novick says the key improvements are more bathrooms and more elbow room.

Carrie Novick: “Two Christmases ago, it was so bad in the departure area that the only way they could let someone in was if someone boarded the aircraft on the other end. “

The new terminal is about six times larger than the old one. Novick says more than 230,000 people flew out of the Redmond airport last year.

The building expansion cost $40 million, with state and federal grants covering half of that.

The rest came from bonds that will be repaid with future airport revenue.