Construction on the new Airside D terminal at Tampa International Airport continues. Officials allowed the media and the public a ringside view of the construction of the $1.5 billion expansion project. The expansion project will help accommodate the increasing number of passengers and flights operating out of Central Florida. 

The Airside D terminal will feature 16 new gates, a 600,000-square-foot facility serving both domestic and international travelers, and a next-generation US Customs Facility. In the last two decades, this will be the first new airside terminal addition at Tampa International Airport. 

Officials have explained that, with completion slated for 2029, the project has entered the critical vertical construction phase. Precast concrete elevator towers have been installed, which will be used for 11 of the new terminal’s 15 elevators. These elevators are divided into three categories: passenger, cargo, and operational.

Kevin Curry, general superintendent for Hensel Phelps Construction, stated, “The thought processes that go into that, too, are completely different than your average hotel, condo or apartment — anything else you see around the skyline.” He continued, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime project. There’s not many billion-dollar projects that you’ll do.”

Workers have also been installing steel beams that form the terminal’s structure. In June, work was done on setting the steel girders, which will support the automated shuttle guideway connecting the new terminal to the existing airport.

To get the project finished on time, approximately 200 workers are working in shifts around the clock. The workforce is expected to grow in the next 2 years, with an estimated 2000 workers on-site.

Curry stated that in 2027, the team will be working on interiors, glass facade, and roof, while the following year is meant for commissioning and turning things on.

The Airside D terminal is the final phase of the Tampa International Airport master plan. Construction began in 2024 and will feature two floors and a mezzanine floor. As the project moves from structural work to interior systems and finishes, airport administrators believe this new terminal will help position the airport to meet the demands of future travel.

Dan Seeley, Tampa International Airport's Director of Construction,, explained to Fox13 News, “It's huge, it's really putting Tampa on the map, creating a marquee project like this showing that we have the capacity, the demand, the need for this really shows how much Tampa is growing and how we can support it, and we're going to have first-class, world-class facilities.”

According to the Tampa International Airport’s website, once completed, the new terminal will feature two new airline lounges and new shopping and dining locations. The extension will help serve 35 million passengers by 2037.

Airside D's aesthetic has been designed with the traveler experience in mind, while also upholding Tampa Bay’s rich ecological environment, the local community, and sustainability practices. The new terminal will replace the old Airside D, which was torn down in 2007, and the space has until now been used as a hardstand for overnight flights.

In 2025, it was announced that Delta Air Lines would be the anchor tenant of the new terminal and that one of the lounges would be part of its Sky Club.