Governor Andrew Cuomo joined local dignitaries for the groundbreaking of a $24.7 million project that will transform the Ithaca-Tompkins Airport, in the Village of Lansing, from a  regional to an international airport.  The project expands existing terminal space by about 50%, and adds a US Customs facility that will enable flights from foreign countries to fly directly to Ithaca.  Tompkins County Legislature Chair Martha Robertson said it will be the most energy-efficient airport possible, reducing current energy costs by $50,000 per year despite the larger terminal area.  Cuomo said the completion of the project by the end of 2019 will transport the airport into a vital transportation hub that will encourage global investment and business in Tompkins County.

"What's exciting about today is it all starts with a vision. And it all starts with daring and with courage. And taking on a project like this, this is a $24 million project," Cuomo said. "This is a big deal. It takes vision, it takes guts, and it takes a lot of hard work. The vision is what Martha said, centrally isolated, you want to survive and thrive economically, people have to be able to get to you. That's step one. And the new economy is not going to drive here. The new economy is global, it's international, and they fly. You need an international airport so you can bring your resources to bear internationally and be internationally accessible. That's the vision. And that's true."


One of the conditions of $14.2 million in state funding is that construction be completed by the end of 2019.  Cuomo joked that Tompkins County Legislature Chair Martha Robertson and Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick would be exiled from New York State if the project is not completed on time.

"We are headed in the right direction and this project is going to take us forward by leaps and bounds," he said. "It's going to happen. It's not a proposal. It's not a dream. It's not on paper. It is going to happen. It is going to happen by next December or the Mayor and Martha are going to be living in the State of New Jersey, which is one of those other states. That's how you know you get things done."

	Click here for a first look at what Ithaca-Tompkins International Airport will look like when upgrades are completed at the end of 2019.

Major improvements will include:

• Major security enhancements, including relocating TSA baggage screening and updating it to be compliant with post-9/11 security requirements, as well as adding another lane for passenger security screening to alleviate wait times.
• Reconfiguration of the security checkpoint and relocation of TSA office space as part of an 8,500-square-foot expansion of the passenger hold room.
• Reconfiguration of airline office space and expansion of baggage screening space as part of a 6,000-square-foot addition on the east side of the terminal.
• Baggage security and check-in improvements, including relocated and upgraded baggage screening to streamline operations and improve efficiency, and a separate TSA room for staff and screening operations.
• Three new passenger boarding bridges to accommodate jet aircraft and additional service.
• Addition of 1,700-square-feet of space at the main entrance and an expanded ticket counter to improve passenger circulation and provide more room for ticket queuing.
• Construction of a new 5,000-square-foot Federal Customs Facility.
• Technology upgrades to include high-speed WiFi, Bluetooth connectivity and new, modern seating with charging ports and outlets.
• Food service enhancements, such as expanding a pre-security café and adding 4,000 square feet of space for post-security food concessions.
• Installation of a new, translucent, curved top canopy structure along the front entrance and over walkways to terminals, as well as a weather-resistant enclosure for passengers waiting for buses, taxis and shuttle.
• Solar canopy covered parking system for the terminal parking lot.
• Installation of new plumbing, HVAC, fire protection, mechanical and electrical systems.
• Installation of a new geothermal water-source heat pump system to reduce natural gas usage for the terminal and Customs facility.

"With this groundbreaking, we are building for our future and celebrating what we can achieve when local and state government work together, and when the business community and the public sector work together," Robertson said. "Thanks to Governor Cuomo and our partners on this project, the transformation of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport will give us an innovative, world-class airport - setting a new standard as a model of sustainability - to build on the upward trajectory and economic growth that we are currently seeing across the county and throughout the Southern Tier."

Another project, a collaboration between New York State, the FAA, Tompkins County and the Town of Lansing, will relocate the NYS Department of Transportation facility from Ithaca to the airport, freeing 7.6 acres of lakefront property for development.  The waterfront property will be sold at public auction.  The new 15 acre facility, is expected to be completed by spring of 2020.

Cuomo hailed Ithaca as a place with daring and vision in aviation, citing its early history bringing the aviation here only six years after the Wright brothers' historic first flight. he said Robinson Airlines, later Mohawk Airlines, and then USAir was originally based at the Ithaca airport, and the upgrades that will transform the airport to an international gateway continues that vision.

"We've been talking about this. We've been planning it," Cuomo told members of the press after the groundbreaking ceremony. "But to actually get it started, to break ground ceremonially to have a finish date... and it is going to be an international airport. Everything is about economic development and economic growth. Everybody says we're moving toward a global economy. Great, then embrace it. Be ambitious about it. be aggressive about it. Having an international airport to welcome that new global economy is the obvious first step."

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