The new terminal expansion project that opened at the San Antonio airport in March is already getting an upgrade.
On Tuesday, members of the public arts committee of the San Antonio Arts Commission approved final designs for a sprawling mural at the $55 million ground load facility, an expansion of Terminal A.
One of the first of many improvement projects ongoing at the airport, the facility opened a month ago as part of a plan to increase service by ultra-low-cost air carriers and increase passenger numbers.
Proposed by local artist Kimberly Bishop, the artwork features an acrylic on vinyl piece at the entryway from the existing terminal into the facility, and a corresponding end-to-end mural spanning the three gates’ holding areas.
An arts educator, Bishop has also created public art projects that include “Poet’s Pointe” at the Seeling Channel Pocket Park in the Jefferson neighborhood and collaborated on artwork for VIA Metropolitan Transit bus stops.
The vibrant work, titled “Rise Up,” represents the many natural springs in San Antonio, including the Blue Hole, as the indigenous peoples’ origin story with handpainted animal imagery above.
The commission unanimously approved the $172,00 project, which was funded through the budget for the facility, and will begin to be installed in July.
“The Art [department] does a great job working with us, working with the artists, and working with the architects to understand what we’re trying to do from an architectural standpoint with the building [to create] that sense of place and the customer experience,” said Tim O’Krongley, deputy aviation director.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of San Antonio’s public arts ordinance, created to ensure civic projects reflected the community’s unique history, culture and aspirations through accessible art. The city’s website features a directory of public art.
The airport’s ground load facility itself expands Terminal A by three gates which are designed to be used primarily by ultra-low-cost carriers that service SAT, including Breeze Airways, Sun County and Viva.
On May 2, the ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, which began offering service from SAT to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in January, announced it was ceasing operations.
During the initial planning for the ground load facility, aviation officials said the new facility would help draw more ultra-low-cost carriers to SAT and could result in cheaper fare options for travelers seeking low-cost travel.
It also provides extra flexibility to managing the gates and can accommodate most aircraft as a sort of back up operations center.
“When the larger hubs get bad weather, like Houston, Dallas, they send a lot of aircraft here while they’re experiencing weather,” O’Krongley said. Planes can be deboarded at the ground load facility when other gates are occupied with regular traffic.
With Spirit out, flights to South Florida from SAT are provided by American Airlines, Frontier and Southwest, said a statement from the airport.
The Terminal A expansion is the first major project completion in the long-term strategic plan designed to improve the San Antonio airport, and the first significant new project at the airport since a parking garage opened in 2017.
This summer, work crews are expected to install the final beam topping the new terminal that’s been under construction since December 2024 at the San Antonio airport.
The event will mark a major step toward completion of the $1.4 billion facility that will expand the San Antonio International Airport by 17 gates.
“We’re about 22 months away … from being complete with this new terminal,” said Director of Airports Jesus Saenz during the recent State of Aviation event. “So we’re super excited.”
In January, city officials approved the selection of a Houston-based architecture firm to provide design services for the reconfiguration and rehabilitation of the old section of Terminal A.
Selected from among 13 initial bids, narrowed to eight final bids, the St. Louis, Missouri-based firm HOK Group is providing architectural services for upgrading terminals A and B, including holding area and restroom renovations. The contract is valued at $35 million.
The preliminary design plans are expected to be released in early 2027 with the start of construction not until the opening of the new Terminal C.
In 2025, over 10.7 million passengers traveled through the San Antonio airport, a decrease of 3.2% compared to 2024. The airport regularly reports those monthly and yearly passenger numbers provided by the airlines.
But on Wednesday, the city council’s audit committee released a report stating those numbers need to be validated before being used to calculate the use fees airlines pay to the airport.
The city’s aviation department has responded that a plan is in the works to improve how it checks the counts for accuracy, the report states.
