12 DAYS
PAT KELLY / News Herald Writer
WEST BAY — With less than two weeks to go, Airport Authority board chairman Joe Tannehill said the planned May 23 opening of the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport is moving forward with no “deal breakers” on the horizon.
“I think as far as Delta goes, and as far as Southwest goes, and as far as the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) goes, and as far as the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) goes, everything that needs to be done is in good hands,” Tannehill said Monday.
Jeff Dealy of KBR, program manager for the airport relocation project, said one decisive milestone will be a final TSA inspection next week of the fencing and badging (area-access) system. The TSA already has approved the facility’s $4 million baggage-handling system.
FAA officials were at the site Friday and the airport is expected to receive a crucial commercial service certification this week, Dealy said. That certification involves a check of employee training and documentation, aircraft rescue and firefighting procedures and a review of the airport’s emergency plans.
Tannehill said the ticket counters, security, rental car counters and other crucial components “will all be completed and ready for business” by the planned opening.
Airport Authority board members will gather this morning for their only meeting of the month, and there still are unresolved issues, such as the completion of the airport’s stormwater drainage system, particularly a fix to Pond C, Tannehill said.
“That is an ongoing issue that won’t affect the opening,” Tannehill said. “It won’t be a deal breaker as far as the opening of the airport. A lot of people are working very hard to do what needs to be done. I’m very confident.”
Crews have been racing to meet the May 23 deadline and complete the construction of the drainage filtration system, including Pond C, which airport board members recently discovered would need a $2 million “fix” to meet Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) specifications.
The DEP has said the airport faces daily fines if the filtration system, meant to clean stormwater before its release into the West Bay watershed, does not meet permit specifications.
Meanwhile, the Airport Authority has announced that a free shuttle service will assist travelers who park their cars and depart from the old Panama City-Bay County International Airport in Panama City, but don’t return until after the new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opens May 23 near West Bay.
The existing airport will be shut down May 22 and all airport operations transferred to the new airport. The shuttle will transport passengers and their luggage from the new airport to the old to retrieve their vehicles.
“We will continue to shuttle passengers back to the old airport until all the cars in the parking lot have been retrieved,” Tannehill said. “Rest assured that we won’t leave anyone stranded.”
A grand opening gala has been planned for the May 23 weekend, including the flight of two Southwest planes without passengers into the airport on Saturday, May 22, Tannehill said.
The Southwest planes will leave with passengers when the airport officially opens Sunday, May 23.