Bill Wyatt says it’s gratifying to see a large sign toward the temporary eastern edge of Concourse B.
“We’re on our final approach,” it reads.
With 10 new gates, six more concessions, two additional member lounges and a few other new features now open at Salt Lake City International Airport, construction of the new facility — something that began in 2014 — has now reached its last phase.
“It’s really amazing to be that close to the conclusion of the project,” said Wyatt, the airport’s executive director.
Utah’s largest airport celebrated the completion of its latest construction phase on Tuesday. On top of adding nearly a dozen more gates for Delta and Southwest flights, Aubergine Kitchen and Moab Brewery — both Utah brands — also opened operations in Concourse B. Arts of Aesthetics, Good Earth Market, Hudson and Utah National Parks offer more retail, news and gift stores, as well.
The airport also opened its third sensory room, providing a space for passengers with sensory processing challenges to calm down amid the noise of travel.
2 new luxury lounges open
The latest phase may also be the swankiest one since the new airport began operating five years ago. Delta Air Lines opened a new Sky Club that isn’t just its second at the airport, but — at 34,000 square feet — is the second largest within its network.
The new club, which is large enough to hold 600 people, features expanded seating, buffet dining options, coffee and tea stations, as well as a station for dirty soda. It’s designed more like a luxury retreat space with an overview of the Wasatch Mountains.
“This space was designed with direct input from our customers — what they love, what they need and how they want to feel when they travel,” said Claude Roussel, vice president of Delta Sky Clubs and lounge experience.
Not to be outdone, American Express opened its first Centurion Lounge just down the hall. The 18,000 square foot lounge features a cafe, cocktail bar and buffet room featuring a menu designed by an award-winning Chicago chef. There are also showers, a relaxation room and other elements that also seek to make traveling enjoyable.
“This is a welcome addition to our lounge network and opening just in time for ski season,” said Audrey Hendley, president of global travel and lifestyle for American Express. “When customers get to come to the lounges, they get to have a respite, they get to enjoy some really good food, some really good drinks and really just catch their breath a little on a trip.”
The latter option wasn’t envisioned when construction began in 2014, but the opportunity became available as the project changed in the middle of construction.
Salt Lake City officials reached out to airlines to gauge interest in 16 more gates in the final buildout of Concourse B toward the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, and found they were eager for it, Wyatt said. Adding the new gates also opened the doors for another third-party lounge space. American Express was intent on adding a club in Salt Lake City, and it won the bidding process.
The end of construction?
While Concourse B is nearing completion, slated for the fall of 2026, airport officials are monitoring the metrics that would trigger the construction of Concourse C, as airport construction is never truly over. But don’t expect a new building anytime soon.
Construction of a third concourse would be “complicated” because there’s a massive hangar and major underground utilities currently in the way of where it will be built, Wyatt says. Those will have to be relocated to other areas.
With so much energy now focused on preparing for the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, he isn’t sure whether taking on that task will happen until after the Games wrap up. That’s why he now expects that construction of a third concourse might start later in the 2030s.
Airline travel remains steady at the airport, as more than 21.3 million passengers came through the airport over the first nine months of 2025, less than a 1% drop from the same point in 2024, which ended up becoming the airport’s busiest year on record. It’s still slightly below the passenger travel threshold needed before construction will begin.
It should reach the threshold in the 2030s, but unforeseen events can change everything. Wyatt points out that visions of the new airport emerged in the 1990s, but the 9/11 attacks and a recession pushed construction back to 2014. A major earthquake and a global pandemic each happened during the middle of construction, adding new concerns to the never-ending threats of economic slowdowns — all of which could delay the need for Concourse C.
That’s why Wyatt monitors financial trends almost as much as passenger volumes, because both will dictate the timeframe of the airport’s next chapter.
“A stall in the economy would stall the airline industries, and that would push the need for it back,” he said. “That is something that (we) evaluate every day.”