Pittsburgh International Airport passenger numbers soar to record breaking year for 2024 as construction of the new terminal reaches 80% completion.
Since 2021, Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) has embarked on its biggest transformation project
yet. The Terminal Modernisation Project or TMP for short, is a $1.1bn project designed to improve
facilities and create a new consolidated terminal that modernises outdated former hub facilities. The
main goals include reducing passenger wait and walk times, shortening baggage delivery times,
improving the international arrivals process, reducing operations and maintenance costs, providing
more public parking spaces and making the airport more efficient and sustainable overall.
PIT passenger traffic saw a record breaking trajectory this past year when December’s traffic
numbers pushed PIT to 9.95 million total passengers for 2024, surpassing 2019’s figure of 9.8 million
by over 166,000 passengers, or 8.1 percent, marking the first time the airport’s annual traffic
surpassed pre-pandemic levels. This is due to a record number of Pittsburghers travelling through
PIT with over 9.7 million travellers recorded to have started and ended their trips in Pittsburgh last
year. It’s the highest origin-and-destination (O&D) figure – non-connecting passengers – in the
airport’s history dating back to 1980. What’s more, PIT’s international traffic surpassed 195,000
international passengers in 2024, a 30% increase from 2023. Spurred by Icelandair launching
seasonal service to Reykjavik, Iceland, in May and British Airways’ continued growth on its year-
round service to London Heathrow.
International travel in Pittsburgh is expected to grow again 2025 as British Airways will upgrade service to London Heathrow to daily starting 30 March and Icelandair will resume its seasonal Reykjavik service a month earlier in 2025, with flights returning on 17 April. The TMP has also reached significant milestones in the first month of the new year and Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal is approaching its grand opening – with construction reaching 80% completion. Working with Allegheny County Airport Authority leaders on the new terminal, designers developed three core principles to guide their work, encompassing nature, technology and community. Key features of the new terminal include:
● Four new outdoor terraces—two accessible before security and two beyond.
● Tree columns and leaf designs (by artist Clayton Merrell) in the flooring, paying tribute to
Western Pennsylvania's foliage.
● A 4,000 constellation ceiling lights installation, creating a night sky effect.
● A new 5,000-space parking structure and roadway system
● The new terminal will have three levels: a commercial curb on the first floor, an arrivals level
on the second floor and a departures level on the third floor.
● Technology woven seamlessly into the design concept to improve operations at security and
baggage claim.
Prioritising enhancing the passenger experience through a range of design features, the TMP
Universal Access features include raised crosswalks with improved lighting, accessible-height
ticketing counters, digital wayfinding that offers both visual and audio cues, Intuitive layouts to
simplify navigation and outdoor spaces with biophilic design elements.
These enhancements build on Pittsburgh International’s established commitment to inclusivity, best
illustrated by Presley’s Place—one of the USA’s first comprehensive sensory rooms designed for
travellers with autism and other sensory sensitivities. Pittsburgh International is signaling what the
future of air travel could look like: more welcoming and supportive for all passengers.
Driving this change is Christina Cassotis, the charming but no-nonsense CEO of the Allegheny County
Airport Authority who was recently named Pittsburgher of the Year by Pittsburgh Magazine, and
spearheading a revolution in air travel for the Steel City.
For more information, visitpittsburgh.com