First Phase of the New $4 Billion Salt Lake City International Airport Opens

The first phase of the new $4 billion Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) has opened, with the second phase scheduled to debut in 2024.

The new airport, which is designed to handle 26 million passengers, is equipped with two linear concourses connected by a tunnel, which are replacing five existing concourses.

The terminal features 45-foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls that proffer up views of the Wasatch Mountains.

Dining and retail facilities are designed to reflect the ambiance of both Salt Lake City and Utah.

All restaurants will feature breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.

In all, 29 stores are being in the first phase, including Coach, Frye, King’s English, Hip & Humble and MAC.

“Salt Lake is very much the crossroads of the West,” said Bill Wyatt, executive director of airports for Salt Lake City. “From the skin on the building to the art that has been selected to the massive terrazzo floors, there has been extraordinary attention paid to making sure that people knew they were in Salt Lake when they land here.”

The new Utah Transit Authority TRAX light rail station at the terminal will provide visitors with a quick and seamless way in which to access downtown Salt Lake City.

“With the opening of the new SLC, leisure travelers and convention attendees alike will experience even shorter travel times and greater efficiency than before,” said Kaitlin Eskelson, president and CEO of Visit Salt Lake.