KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The new KCI terminal will be a welcome change for many travelers to and from Kansas City — but how does it translate to actual growth for the city and region?
Many of the first people to fly in to Kansas City after the new terminal opens in 2023 will be here for the sporting community.
"A week after that airport opens, we have MIAA men's and women’s (championships), we have Big XII men’s and women’s (championships), we have the NCAA men's regional Sweet 16, Elite 8 and then of course the NFL draft," said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation. "It'll be the biggest year for our city in decades, and that's all tied to sports."
Nelson is twice as excited for the new terminal than most, because in addition to the sports commission, she also leads Visit KC. She loves listing what's headed to town, because she knows what the city has missed out on.
One example: the NCAA’s wrestling championships, set to finally come to Kansas City in 2024.
"We had bid on that twice in the last 10 years, and had been told no both times," Nelson said. “So I went and met with people on the committee, and said, ‘When you select the next four cities every time, why are we number five?’ And it was, ‘Well your airport. Your airport is screwing up your bid.’"
Not anymore. And that’s not an issue for another, even bigger event the city wants in 2026.
"Someone with FIFA said, ‘I just want to go back to something that Kansas City said-- they are a four-hour flight from any of these cities,’" Nelson said. “We will have the newest airport of anyone in North America when it's time to host the World Cup."
The FIFA World Cup would mean international exposure for Kansas City, and international fans.
"These nonstop routes to Europe and other places around the world do bring new travelers to the city," Kansas City City Manager Brian Platt said.
Platt says the new terminal, and a potential FIFA World Cup assignment, gives Kansas City a chance to coax those fans here for more than just soccer.
"Can you get a direct flight between those two places? That is one of the main reasons why people will come to a city from out of town," Platt said. “We can actually measure exactly how many people are coming from those other places, and the estimated impact on our local economy from that sort of thing. There's a huge benefit to this."
And Platt says that Kansas City’s beautiful new airport terminal will be hard for travelers to forget.
"This is your first impression of the city and it's so crucial that we get it right," Platt said.
The restaurant and shopping options have been a hot topic in the construction of the new terminal. The city says that concession sales are anticipated to increase 200 percent with new shopping and dining options creating much higher sales tax revenue for Kansas City.
