MSP Airport’s Terminal 2 North Expansion gets underway

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has begun construction on a 168,000-square-foot expansion of Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the first of several projects planned in the coming years to accommodate ever-increasing airline and passenger demands at the 14-gate facility.

The $263 million Terminal 2 North Expansion project will add two additional airline gates and increase spacing and passenger seating for H13 and H14, the existing northern-most gates. The expansion will also include new restrooms, concession spaces, and additional operational support areas for airlines and tenants. Terminal 2, which opened in 2002, currently serves MSP-based Sun Country Airlines and six other domestic and international air carriers.

“We are seeing a surge in travel demand, highlighted by a string of record-setting months at Terminal 2 this year,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the MAC, which owns and operates MSP. “This project is a long-term strategic investment to support our airlines, improve the passenger experience, and to keep pace with demand that fuels growth at MSP and in our local economy.”

Terminal 2 had its busiest month ever this past March, serving a record 711,612 passengers and supporting 4,588 airline operations. Both of those milestones were 10% higher than the previous passenger and operations records.

Earlier this year, MSP received a $20 million federal grant for the Terminal 2 project through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program. The MAC has included several sustainability elements in the project as it pursues LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification.

“We are incorporating many energy-saving and green building systems throughout the new terminal space, including LED lighting, automated building monitoring, rainwater reclamation, and a geothermal system,” said Bridget Rief, vice president of planning and development at the MAC. “Travelers will experience more spacious gate and concourse areas framed overhead by a cross-laminated wood structure ceiling, which allows more daylight into the terminal and better views to the outdoors.”

The Terminal 2 expansion will be completed in early 2027. View additional renderings here.

A concurrent construction project on the south end of Terminal 2 will add two additional airline gates adjacent to gate H1 this year. The MAC is installing additional utilities on the ramp and making minor exterior improvements to the terminal to accommodate two additional jet bridges. The gates will open between October and November.  

Planning and design work is also underway for future expansions. The MAC recently approved the MSP Airport 2040 Long-Term Plan, which proposed a near-term project to add another nine gates on the south end of Terminal 2. A separate proposed project would add as many as nine gates beyond what is completed in the Terminal 2 North Expansion project in the latter years of the long-term plan. Between current and proposed projects, capacity at Terminal 2 could increase from 14 to 36 gates.