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The bright main concourse at McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), with river-rock water features and plantings along the walkway

McGhee Tyson Airport · Flight Plan

The TYS expansion, step by step.

A garage, a thirteenth gate, a bigger checkpoint, then six more gates and a larger terminal. Here is every Flight Plan milestone from 2024 to 2035, each with its source.

See the timelineWhy it is needed

Photo: Jackmcafee, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

Flight Plan is McGhee Tyson's decade-long expansion, launched Nov 7, 2024. A $186 million garage with 3,500 more spaces is due in summer 2027. Gate 13 was added in fall 2026. A $10 million checkpoint expansion was set to start construction in fall 2026. The airport's terminal plan adds six gates by about 2030 and bigger ticketing, baggage and security areas by about 2035.

Verified Oct 19, 2026

Knox Nonstop is an independent guide, not the airport. For live parking, flight status and official notices, use flyknoxville.com.

At a glance

Flight Plan in four numbers

$186Mfor the six-level garage, due summer 2027.
3,500more parking spaces.
6more gates in Phase 1, estimated for 2030.
$10Mfederal grant for a bigger checkpoint.

Interactive

Every milestone, sourced.

Filter by what is done, what is under way and what is planned. Each entry links to where we confirmed it.

Flight Plan timelineFilter by status

  1. Flight Plan launches; garage breaks groundDone

    The airport authority broke ground on the Parking Garage Expansion and Terminal Roadway Improvement Project and announced Flight Plan, a decade-long growth plan. The garage: $186 million, six stories, 3,500 more spaces.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Introducing Flight Plan (Nov 7, 2024)

  2. East and West ramps expandedDone

    More aircraft parking space on the airfield, which the airport says positions TYS for new service and smoother turnarounds.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: East and West ramp expansion complete (Aug 1, 2025)

  3. The garage goes verticalDone

    Tower cranes arrived for the vertical construction phase of the new garage.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Parking garage construction is going vertical (Oct 21, 2025)

  4. Terminal expansion enters environmental reviewDone

    The airport published the Environmental Assessment for its Terminal Area Development Program, the federal review the FAA leads before a project like this can proceed.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Environmental Assessment, Terminal Area Development Program (Dec 5, 2025)

  5. New escalatorsDone

    Replacement escalators opened. The old set had run since 2001 and carried more than 25 million passengers.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Escalators are back in service (Dec 17, 2025)

  6. Public meeting on the terminal planDone

    Community members met the project team to ask questions and comment on the Environmental Assessment.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Public meeting held on the Environmental Assessment (Jan 14, 2026)

  7. New concourse furnitureDone

    Lounge seating, work tables and cyber bars with power raised concourse seating capacity by more than 65%.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: New concourse furniture (Apr 20, 2026)

  8. $10 million for the checkpointDone

    TYS was selected for $10 million from the final round of the FY2026 IIJA Airport Terminal Program to expand the security checkpoint.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: TYS receives $10 million for security checkpoint expansion (Jun 3, 2026)

  9. Gate 13 and the renumberingDone

    A thirteenth gate was added and gates 7 to 13 were renumbered in three weekly phases. Gate 13 was in use on the airport's live board by Oct 19, 2026.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: A new gate coming to TYS (Sep 21, 2026)

  10. Garage canopy and the lower-level laneUnder way

    The left lower-level lane closest to the garage is closed while crews build a covered walkway from the new garage to the terminal.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Temporary lane closure, lower level (Aug 24, 2026)

  11. Checkpoint construction beginsUnder way

    The airport said in June 2026 that construction on the checkpoint project would begin this fall, after design work.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Seen at TYS this summer (Jun 1, 2026)

  12. The new garage opensPlanned

    The airport says the garage project will be completed in summer 2027: six levels, 3,500 more spaces and one floor for rental car operations.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Seen at TYS this summer (Jun 1, 2026)

  13. 4.1 million passengers forecastPlanned

    The Environmental Assessment projects 4.1 million passengers by 2027.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Environmental Assessment, Terminal Area Development Program (Dec 5, 2025)

  14. Bigger checkpoint finishedPlanned

    WVLT reported that the checkpoint expansion is likely to be completed in 2028.

    Source: WVLT: McGhee Tyson receives $10 million grant to expand security checkpoint (Jun 9, 2026)

  15. Phase 1: six more gatesPlanned

    Expand the Y concourse by six gates, rebuild about 96,000 square yards of terminal apron, repurpose ground transportation Lot F, and relocate the glycol tank farm, deicer storage and the Hertz maintenance building. Forecast: 4.7 million passengers by 2030.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Environmental Assessment, Terminal Area Development Program (Dec 5, 2025)

  16. Phase 2: a bigger terminalPlanned

    Expand ticketing, baggage handling and the security checkpoint area, improve utilities, and relocate part of Taxiway A. Both phases depend on funding.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Environmental Assessment, Terminal Area Development Program (Dec 5, 2025)

Showing all 16 milestones.

Growth

Why TYS needs it

The airport says the terminal was built for about 2.6 million passengers a year. Traffic passed that in 2024. The Environmental Assessment also cites airlines switching from regional jets to larger narrow-body aircraft and aging infrastructure.

20051,845,491
20171,988,019
20192,572,775
20243,256,953
20253,630,410
2027 forecast4.1M
2030 forecast4.7M
The dashed line is the terminal's design capacity: "built to accommodate about 2.6 million passengers annually" (airport, Nov 2024). 2005 is derived from the airport's 2017 release; 2027 and 2030 are the Environmental Assessment forecasts. Years without a figure here are years we have not verified.

Components

The seven Flight Plan projects

Garage and terminal roadway

The first project: the $186 million garage and roadway improvements, under way since Nov 2024.

Concourse seating

New furniture in April 2026 raised concourse seating by more than 65%.

Concourse gates

Gate 13 in fall 2026; six more gates in the Phase 1 plan.

Security checkpoint

$10 million federal grant in June 2026; construction from fall 2026.

Ticket counters

Ticketing expansion is part of the Phase 2 plan, estimated for 2035.

Escalators

Replaced; back in service Dec 17, 2025.

Concessions

More concessions and restrooms are on the airport's "What's Next" list.

The seven components as listed on the airport's Flight Plan page (updated May 1, 2026). The Knoxville News Sentinel put the whole program at about $700 million over the decade (Dec 6, 2024); the airport links that story from its Flight Plan page, but has not published its own total.

Process

How the terminal plan gets approved

Environmental Assessment

Under the National Environmental Policy Act the FAA is the lead federal agency. It reviews the airport's assessment and issues an environmental finding on the proposed terminal work.

Have your say

The airport takes questions and comments on the assessment at comments@tys-ea.com and says it will post meeting notices and materials on its project page.

A widebody jet parked at a jet bridge on a floodlit apron at night while ground crews load cargo

In the meantime

Parking is tight until 2027.

Check the rates, the lane closure and the cheapest lot for your trip.

Parking guide

Photo: Pexels

More airport guides

Questions

What is McGhee Tyson Airport's Flight Plan?
The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority's decade-long growth and development plan, launched Nov 7, 2024. It covers a new garage and roadway, more concourse seating and gates, a bigger security checkpoint, ticket counter and concessions expansion, and new escalators.
When will the new parking garage at TYS be finished?
The airport says summer 2027. The $186 million, six-level garage adds 3,500 spaces and includes a floor for rental car operations.
Is McGhee Tyson Airport adding gates?
Yes. Gate 13 was added in fall 2026. The Environmental Assessment's Phase 1, estimated for 2030, would expand the Y concourse by six more gates.
Why is the Knoxville airport expanding?
Traffic has outgrown the building. The airport says the terminal was built for about 2.6 million passengers a year; it handled 3,630,410 in 2025 and forecasts 4.1 million by 2027 and 4.7 million by 2030. Airlines are also moving from regional jets to larger narrow-body aircraft.
How much does Flight Plan cost?
The airport's own figures are $186 million for the garage and a $10 million federal grant toward the checkpoint. The Knoxville News Sentinel reported the whole plan at about $700 million over a decade (Dec 6, 2024), in a story the airport links from its Flight Plan page.
When will the TYS security checkpoint expansion be done?
Construction was set to begin in fall 2026, per the airport. WVLT reported completion is likely in 2028.

Sources

  1. McGhee Tyson Airport: Introducing Flight Plan (Nov 7, 2024)
  2. McGhee Tyson Airport: Flight Plan program page (updated May 1, 2026)
  3. McGhee Tyson Airport: Seen at TYS this summer (Jun 1, 2026)
  4. McGhee Tyson Airport: East and West ramp expansion complete (Aug 1, 2025)
  5. McGhee Tyson Airport: Parking garage construction is going vertical (Oct 21, 2025)
  6. McGhee Tyson Airport: Environmental Assessment, Terminal Area Development Program (Dec 5, 2025)
  7. McGhee Tyson Airport: Escalators are back in service (Dec 17, 2025)
  8. McGhee Tyson Airport: Public meeting held on the Environmental Assessment (Jan 14, 2026)
  9. McGhee Tyson Airport: New concourse furniture (Apr 20, 2026)
  10. McGhee Tyson Airport: TYS receives $10 million for security checkpoint expansion (Jun 3, 2026)
  11. WVLT: McGhee Tyson receives $10 million grant to expand security checkpoint (Jun 9, 2026)
  12. McGhee Tyson Airport: A new gate coming to TYS (Sep 21, 2026)
  13. McGhee Tyson Airport: Departures & Arrivals live board (gates read the night of Oct 19, 2026)
  14. McGhee Tyson Airport: Temporary lane closure, lower level (Aug 24, 2026)
  15. McGhee Tyson Airport: Reflecting on a record year for air service (Mar 9, 2026)
  16. McGhee Tyson Airport: TYS serves 3.3M passengers in 2024 (Jan 27, 2025)
  17. McGhee Tyson Airport: 2019 marks busiest year (Feb 5, 2020)
  18. McGhee Tyson Airport: Record-breaking year in 2017 (Jan 31, 2018)