BOISE, Idaho — The Treasure Valley's "explosive growth" and a rebound in travel across the US in 2022 brought a record number of passenger traffic to the Boise Airport last year.
BOI on Wednesday announced nearly 4.5 million people traveled through the City of Trees' airport in 2022, up 9% from the previous record of more than 4.1 million passengers set in 2019.
Officials with the Boise Airport expect traffic to continue growing in 2023 despite a nationwide dip in air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Simple Flying' recently listed BOI as the 10th-fastest growing airport in the country.
In order to keep up with growth and the increased passenger traffic, the airport is in the process of the 'BOI Upgrade,' its multi-year expansion plan that includes additional parking, a brand-new concourse and a seventh TSA screening lane.
In November 2022, the Boise Airport expanded its economy parking lot to add roughly 340 spaces. The lot's capacity is now more than 1,650 parking spaces.
The expansion was designed to help meet public demand while construction is completed on BOI's new close-in parking garage. The five-level, 1,100-stall garage will be located east of the current parking garage, and is set to open this summer.
The BOI Upgrade plan also features an employee parking garage, scheduled to finish in early 2024. The employee garage is expected to have 700 parking stalls and also will be a five-story facility. The garage will be located north of the airport, along Wright Street.
Lastly, the Boise Airport is adding Concourse A, a brand-new concourse with restrooms, restaurants and retail stores. Concourse A will extend to the west of the airport terminal with six gates. BOI said construction will begin on the concourse in 2026.
For more information on the BOI Upgrade plan, click here.
Watch more Local News:
See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: