In more news from Orlando, construction will begin soon on the $1.8 billion South Terminal Complex (STC) Phase 1 Terminal C at Orlando Inter-national Airport (MCO).
The airport reports that the design team (Fentress Architects, HNTB and Schenkel Shultz) recently reached the 60% threshold, with only two design benchmarks remaining.
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Board approved initial concepts, which had been presented in November.
The STC design focuses on a unifying theme through “The Boulevard”– a corridor that runs the length of the terminal and connects the major civic areas, including the ticket hall and concessions hub. Other innovative aspects of the STC include:
+ Arrivals and bag claim will be located on the third level so passengers can view the Central Florida landscape immediately after deplaning. Departures, ticketing and security will be located on the second level and ground transportation on the first level.
+ State-of-the-art Baggage Handling System using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology will offer 100% baggage tracking.
+ More concessions will be located beyond security. Club/Lounge opportunities will be available along with a “concessions in the park” area.
+ Interactive video displays will be featured in the ticket hall and concessions hub.
The first phase of the South Terminal Complex will feature 16 gates with a flexible configuration that will be able to accommodate narrow body, jumbo and super jumbo aircraft. Construction is set to begin in the first quarter of 2017 with projected completion in 2020.
The total STC building program will comprise approximately 2.7 million square feet with a terminal that will serve both international and domestic flights.
MCO handles nearly 42 million annual passengers, and is the second busiest airport in Florida and 14th busiest in the U.S.
