Nashville International Airport’s passenger and cargo operations have grown steadily to pre-9/11 levels.

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority President and CEO Raul Regalado knew that when the time came to revamp the long-term vision for the Nashville International Airport (BNA), it was crucial to keep in mind the needs of the community and its travelers, while devising a plan that provided stability for the airport.

Ranked among the 50-busiest airports in North America, BNA’s passenger and cargo operations have grown steadily to pre-9/11 levels. In fiscal 2006, the airport processed 9.5 million passengers – an increase of 6.8 percent over the previous year. The facility also experienced a boost in cargo volume, which exceeded 75,000 tons in 2006.

“We serve a rather large market area because of our low-cost service,” Regalado notes. “We’re the only commercial airport in middle Tennessee of our size and our market area ranges from middle Tennessee to southern Kentucky to northern Alabama.”

Located roughly six miles southeast of Nashville, Tenn., BNA was originally established in 1937 on a 340-acre tract of land. Today, the airport covers roughly 4,500 acres, operates four runways, more than 820,000 square feet of terminal space and serves 16 airlines, which average 400 flights daily to more than 90 markets and 49 non-stop markets. It also contributes more than $1.3 billion in wages and 56,000 jobs annually to the local economy.

In the interest of its customers, the airport authority has been proactive in improving BNA’s facilities.

In 2006, the MNAA capitalized more than $18.2 million in facility improvements, equipment and land development, funded by more than $12.5 million in passenger facility charges and more than $6 million in federal and state grants. Last year was also marked by the opening of FedEx’s $6 million, 71,000-square-foot sorting facility on the west side of the airport. The 71-employee facility has the capacity of sorting 3,000 packages per hour, and has recently expanded to handle 6,000.

Additionally, Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services opened a 78,000-square-foot maintenance and repair hangar in April 2006. An expansion of the current 125,000-square-foot facility, it is used for turboprop and regional jet aircraft services.

Today, Southwest Airlines serves nearly 50 percent of the the airport’s passenger market, giving it flagship status. The latest additions to the airport, Frontier and JetBlue Airlines, will further boost BNA’s reputation as a low-cost provider.

Room for Expansion
The airport’s passenger and general aviation growth outpace other nearby aviation facilities, placing strain on its facilities’ systems and space. By 2025, BNA’s passenger base is expected to double. In addition, E-commerce, globalization and competition is driving demand for just-in-time shipments, new technologies and improved facilities. As North America/Asia and Inter-Asia air traffic increases to mirror regional growth and the region’s role as a manufacturing and consumer powerhouse, air cargo, passenger and corporate aviation needs are also predicted to increase. As a response, the airport has embarked on a two-phase terminal renovation project as part of a five-year, $700 million capital investment program. The $50 million terminal renovation involves refurbishing Concourses A, B and C, adding new, retail establishments and concessions, and upgrading security checkpoints and baggage screening systems.

A strategic goal of the renovation is to familiarize travelers with the city’s business, cultural and entertainment assets, Regalado explains. “We wanted people to see and touch and taste Nashville when they go through the building; we don’t want them to go through the airport without experiencing Nashville,” he says. “We’ll probably have the most diverse locally branded package in the country.”

Phase I of the terminal renovation kicked off in January 2005 with the design and planning process. Led by a joint venture between Minneapolis-based Architectural Alliance (AA) and Nashville-based Thomas Miller & Partners LLC, the design of the terminal’s interior is equally important to the quality of construction.

“When we work nationally, we tend to affiliate ourselves with a prominent partner,” says Eric Peterson, principal with AA. “The joint venture was appropriate for this particular of project ... there was a really good personality fit, we both had respective histories, there were no egos involved and we’re very team focused.”

According to Peterson, the overarching design idea was to bring elements of the Nashville community into the airport, giving travelers a true sense of the city’s uniqueness. “We’re trying to bring a relevant sense of place to the project,” Peterson says.

Set to Music
A cohesive program directly resulted from in-depth meetings between the airport and joint venture.

“Once we got into the project itself, we really needed to pull out the specific programmatic aspects, and that could only be accomplished through face-to-face meetings,” Peterson explains. “We had a good representation of the whole staff from airport leaders to maintenance to security. It was important to have a wide range of input and find the right visual imagery that would resonate with the goals of the airport and the community as a whole.”

Making the airport authority’s vision a reality required the joint venture to research the Nashville community. “We spent a number of days going through the city and talking to the locals, and expressed our findings to the airport,” says April Meyer, an interior designer with AA. One of the most recognizable traits of Nashville was its connection with the music scene, hence its “Music City” nickname. “It’s a complex culture of music, that wasn’t a one liner,” she says. “One of the other elements that started to unravel was the incredible art collection.”

Armed with its research, the joint venture integrated performing and visual arts imagery into the interior design using materials and patterns reminiscent of the local music scene. The team integrated rich hardwood floors with patterns that resembled guitars, lighting fixtures that had “rhinestone qualities” resembling the elaborate costumes performers wear and carpet with a distinct pattern manufactured specifically for the terminal. Phase I of the project will also include the addition of concourse skylights, a waterfall display near the security gates and local art displays.

Concessions Program
To build strong brand equity at BNA, the terminal also needed to become more customer-focused, Regalado admits. To achieve this, the design called for improving the variety, convenience and look of terminal concessions and increased visual and audio exposure to the city’s role as a music leader.

Because the Nashville Airport Authority is a self-financing enterprise, meaning it operates without local tax dollars, adding specialty food concessions and retail shops will boost revenues. The authority expects food and beverage businesses to generate more than $26.2 million annually vs. $16.1 million per year that its current vendors generate. The authority contracted with national concession companies Delaware North Cos. and HMS Host. The two are licensed to provide 22 local and national food and beverage concepts including Whitt’s Barbeque, Tennessee Tavern and Baja Burrito.  

A contract with Hudson Group will also enhance retail sales, Regalado predicts. Merchandise from 20 local, regional and national brand-name concepts falls in line with the airport’s goal to bring Nashville appeal to its customers. The stores will feature live performances, karaoke, recording spaces, on-screen videos, DVD and listening stations and CDs that reflect all genres of music. Each store will be custom designed to reflect the music goal. Under Airport Management Services LLC, Hudson Group will make an initial capital investment of more than $7 million for news, gift and specialty retail stores.

“I compliment Raul and what he has done at the airport,” says Al Thomas, partner with Thomas Miller. “He really created a great financial master plan, where as I understand, the project is being paid for by additional retail. To me, that’s a win-win approach.”

To make way for the new concessions program, major security checkpoints will be relocated inside the secure-terminal areas. Two checkpoints with nine lanes are being consolidated into one location with no fewer than 11 lanes to balance queues and reduce congestion.

“It will save TSA money on staffing and management and will also increase the throughput capacity and expedite the flow of people through the ticket lobby,” Regalado says.
The checkpoints will have the most up-to-date X-ray machines, as well as digital signage to update passengers on security-related news.

Although the responsibility of getting passengers safely onto the airplane lies mostly with the Transportation Security Administration, Regalado says the airport tries to make the experience as comfortable as possible.  “We do control the facility itself and to the extent that we can provide a pleasant experience throughout this facility, we are going to do that.”

As the low-bid general contractor on the project at just under $37 million, Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ray Bell Construction Co. began renovations in October 2006. “[We] have been integrally involved with the construction team through weekly meetings that were very intense,” Thomas says. “Ray Bell Construction understood the priorities of the airport and participated in attending job site meetings as needed.”

Phase I is roughly 50 percent complete and is expected to progress on schedule until early 2008. In July, roughly 35 percent of the retail and food and beverage venues opened.
Phase II is expected to begin in 2009 and will involve renovating restrooms, installing carpeting and a second elevator in the terminal. Although Regalado says keeping the airport functioning while under construction “has been a challenge, it has been done successfully because a lot of effort has gone into the coordination and phasing” among the architects, contractors and internal departments.