Oakland International Airport in California has officially opened its newly expanded and renovated International Arrivals Building (IAB).
Located in Terminal 1 (T1), the US$45m upgrade includes 13,000ft2 (1,200m2) of additional space incorporating a new baggage carousel and an expanded passenger processing room for arriving international travelers. With international passenger traffic up 134% in the past two years, the expansion of the IAB enables Oakland to better accommodate growing demand and increasing passenger levels.
Bryant L Francis, director of aviation for Port of Oakland, the airport operator, said, “This is an incredible milestone worthy of recognition at Oakland Airport, and we couldn’t be more proud to welcome our customers into this beautiful new space. We have worked in tremendous partnership with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), multiple air carriers, and many other stakeholders, to bring the promise of Oakland Airport’s international potential to fruition. This enhanced facility will allow us to better accommodate the increasing international segment of our business.”
The IAB facility now boasts 14 passenger-processing booths, 16 automated passport control kiosks, two Global Entry units, two new baggage reclaim carousels, double the previous passenger circulation space, new and updated restroom facilities, and reconfigured offices for CBP services.
T1 was constructed in 1962 and houses the IAB, which was built as an extension of the terminal in 1972. Previously, international arrival operations had been limited to one wide-body aircraft (300 passengers) at a time. With the expanded facility, two wide-body aircraft can be processed simultaneously, with a processing capacity of more than 600 passengers per hour.