Indianapolis airport considers updating 9-year-old terminal

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis International Airport is in the planning stages of an effort to update its nine-year-old passenger terminal and campus.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority's board members got their first look recently at what those updates might include, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2lDF7fZ ).

The airport is attempting to update the $1.1 billion passenger terminal that opened in 2008, improve the passenger experience and create a sense of place by referencing iconic Indianapolis locations and people. Updates could include more gate-area retail options, fewer moving walkways and some artificial grass.

Preliminary plans also call for more signage, including an outdoor welcome sign for arriving and departing passengers, and signs that more clearly identify each gate.

Architectural design firm Synthesis Inc. and branding agency Bradley and Montgomery are working with the airport on the project.

The circular commons area between the ticketing counters and security screening sections, called Civic Plaza, could be subdivided into smaller zones including seating areas, a market-style area for vendors, and a contoured area covered with artificial grass that could be used for performances and events.

"What we're trying to accomplish is to break up Civic Plaza into a lot of different spaces," Synthesis senior project manager Robert Wease told the board.

Another goal is to shuffle the mix and locations of retailers in the terminal.

Of the airport's more than 50 vendors, nearly 40 have contracts that expire next year. The airport is in the middle of revamping its concessions program with the aim of recruiting more local vendors.

Putting more retailers in the gate areas is also a priority. Currently, only 60 percent of the airport's shops and restaurants are in post-security gate areas.

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Information from: Indianapolis Business Journal, http://www.ibj.com