EXCLUSIVE: Inside look at major changes coming to Jacksonville International Airport

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Flying in and out of Jacksonville is not as affordable as it used to be.

However, there’s a plan to change that and even add more flights -- which could include non-stop service to Europe.

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Action News Jax’s John Bachman met up with Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh to get an exclusive look at some major changes which should save you time and money at the airport.

Some days, as many as 14,000 people fly through Jacksonville International Airport. VanLoh says that’s the limit -- that’s filling every seat on every plane that pulls into Concourses A and C.

Bachman asked, “Every day you’re filling every plane that comes in here?”

VanLoh answered, “Pretty close.”

RELATED: Design of Concourse B, new security lanes and gates at Jacksonville International Airport

He added, “You’ll see that the airline fares have gone up dramatically. The airlines are charging more because they can because the demand is so strong. Until they get more capacity in the market, you’re gonna continue to see high airfares.”

The key, he said, to cheaper flights is increasing capacity. Add more seats, more flights, and more planes. However, the two existing concourses are out of space.

“If you land here at night, say 11 o’clock at night when you land in Jacksonville, you’ll see our aprons, it looks like a parking lot. There are planes everywhere we can put an airplane,” VanLoh said. “When this new Concourse B starts right behind you, that will give us six more gates immediately.”

RELATED: ‘Gateway to the community:’ New concourse heading to Jacksonville International Airport

Concourse B is a $300 million project that is expected to be finished in about two years. The airport has already ordered the steel and VanLoh hopes to break ground by the end of the year. American Airlines has already claimed 5 of the 6 gates. VanLoh said they would’ve taken all 6 but the airport is keeping one for overflow.

“Can you give us a scoop on some flights and others rumors about London?” Bachman asked.

“We were so close to London before COVID. So close. So we had the numbers, were talking with an airline. And then COVID hit. Of course now we’re starting back from square one, but we are having those discussions. Jacksonville is the largest city on the east coast without nonstop Europe service. Number one,” VanLoh said.

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That sounds promising, but Jacksonville is at least two years away because airlines plan two years in the future. Recently, Jacksonville added a direct flight to Los Angeles, something that’d been in the works for years. Just a couple of weeks ago, American Airlines announced nonstop daily flights to Phoenix starting in November.

More flights and more passengers create a choke point at the security checkpoint. VanLoh took Bachman behind the construction walls to see the project that will double the size of the current TSA checkpoint.

“By the time this is done, hopefully by Thanksgiving, we will have 10 new lanes of modern technology and it will cut our wait time by 50%,” VanLoh said.

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More passengers means more cars parked at the airport. A new six-story garage is under design now. It will add 2,000 parking spaces. It’s scheduled to open in two years, just before Concourse B.

“We think we can accommodate growth for the next 20 to 30 years. After that. Who knows?” VanLoh said.

VanLoh said Jacksonville International will never be as big as Orlando or Tampa. He said that is not the intent. However, he said the airport does need to keep pace with the region’s growth.

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