Glacier Park International Airport has secured $2.8 million in new grant funds to put toward an ongoing campaign to renovate and expand the transit hub.

“We’re super excited to deliver this project to the community and this money just helps us do that,” Director Rob Ratkowski said this week. 

The money will go toward Phase 2 of the expansion project, Ratkowski said, which is expected to begin in the first half of 2026. 

Coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminal Program, the funding is meant to upgrade infrastructure and support Montana’s rural economies, according to a press release announcing the grant money from U.S. Sen. Jon Tester’s office. 

Tester, a Democrat, supported the legislation as it headed toward President Joe Biden’s desk in 2021. 

The funding coming to Glacier Park International Airport will go toward terminal and gate expansion, ticketing and kiosk areas, passenger hold rooms and drive lanes, according to Tester’s office. 

The first phase of the project, which remains ongoing, focuses on the renovations and expansion of the ticketing area, the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint area and a new grand hall. The first phase is expected to be completed in 2025. 

Glacier Park International Airport was one of over 100 airports to apply for and receive grant money. Missoula Montana Airport was awarded $6 million to fund construction of a terminal, including baggage claim, hold rooms and passenger restroom areas, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.  

“Glacier Park International Airport has seen an incredible increase in customers that can drive up costs and make air travel harder on Montanans — something that this expansion will help address while supporting good-paying local jobs,” said Tester in a statement. 

In 2009, the number of people flying out of Glacier Park International Airport was just over 150,000 a year. In 2021, the airport saw nearly 400,000 departing travelers, according to the airport. 

The money is appreciated, according to Ratkowski, especially as construction costs increase. Federal dollars allow the airport to fund projects without going to the bank, he said. 

In July 2023, the airport received $7.3 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was also put toward Phase 2. 

“We are really fortunate that this will keep the cost down for the traveling public,” Ratkowski said. 

The airport’s terminal expansion project will nearly triple the size of the airport, bringing it to about 200,000 square feet. 

The expansion comes at the perfect time, Ratkowski said, as the airport sees massive gains in passenger traffic year after year. 

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.