TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa is one step closer to providing more international flights.
This is just one of many projects coming to the airport this year. Tulsa International Airport has a customs building. It was built for 20 people or less and is only used for cargo or private charter flights.
It's time for an upgrade— a 45,000-square-foot upgrade, to be exact, for international commercial flights.
"We have about 115 passengers going to Mexico every day," airport CEO Alexis Higgins said. "We know Cancun is the number one destination. Our Tulsa travelers love sitting on the beach in Cancun."
Higgins, Mayor GT Bynum, Tulsa Chamber President Mike Neal, and dozens of others attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday.
TUL will offer nonstop international flights shortly after the facility is built in December 2025.
"We have to have international connectivity if we want to really take it to the next level from an economic development standpoint, and that's what this makes possible," Bynum said.
Lee Ledbetter was at the airport about to take off. He's from Tulsa but lives in Atlanta now.
"It will create a little more economical support, specifically for the airport. More people can get from Kansas City and other areas to get to those destinations, possibly," he said.
The Tulsa Airport Improvement Trust will contribute $24 million to the project, $5 million from FAA Supplemental Discretionary Funds, and over 11 million from an FAA Airport Infrastructure grant.
2024 is a big year for TUL, with 11 projects in the works. They're building a new control tower, a new modern entrance monument, a luxury lounge, and property-wide street improvements next month, to name a few.
"We have several ambitious projects, and they all seem to be hitting at the same time, but that's okay. We've been working on them for a while," Higgins said.
Over a third of the daily traffic at Tulsa International Airport is to Mexico.
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