If you have traveled recently, you have most likely experienced first-hand the growing pains occurring at AVL. I wanted to take a moment to provide some information about what is happening at AVL, as well as to express appreciation to all of you. We’ve been growing significantly for the past five years, and 2022 was a record year of passenger utilization with 1.8 million passengers flying to or from AVL. And we’re exceeding month-over-month numbers so far in 2023 – by a lot. We are currently ahead of 2022 by an astounding 25%. To be an organization that experiences highly unusual and significant double-digit growth year after year is challenging in many ways, and I am proud of the forward-thinking board and management team who have put the wheels in motion for all the great improvements that have recently taken place and that are on the way. We are currently updating our 20-year master plan, we’re breaking ground on the biggest construction project in the history of AVL and building an entirely new airport terminal, a new air traffic control tower is under construction, we’re adding parking and park assist technology as fast as we can, and we’re always evaluating and planning next steps. It’s all about managing the passenger experience, balanced with a financing plan that we can handle. This fast-paced and significant growth year after year is very real, and we know that our passengers feel it. We hope that the excellent air service connectivity we all have now at AVL is the big “win” for everyone. But we also have empathy regarding challenges that impact passengers – especially challenges with parking. I want to talk about parking in more detail. When passengers experience issues such as parking congestion, we sometimes get questions like, “Why hasn’t the airport built a second garage?” or “Why is the airport bringing more and more flights when parking lots are filling?” These are not quick conversations to have, as the answers are complex. So – I will give a few high-level points: first, we have a second garage in our master plan, but building a garage means displacing nearly 400 spaces near the terminal during construction. So – we need alternative parking options first. We began addressing this during 2020 and built the shuttle lot across the street. After that, we constructed a temporary overflow lot with approximately 200 spaces. And currently, there is a 600+ space remote shuttle lot under construction. Design, engineering, financing and construction take significant time in the “airport world,” where we have to comply with far more regulations than many other types of organizations. Second, air service growth is a “momentum” situation. The airlines are experiencing success in western North Carolina so are continuing to grow here. AVL is a public airport, and we can’t restrict the airlines from growing their service if our airfield can manage the flights (which it can) – nor do we want to. We are grateful to our airline partners for investing in our market! So, like many other airports that outgrow their facilities, we are expanding. But unlike many other airports, our growth continues to come in huge leaps, so the ability to quickly keep up with the needed infrastructure expansion is challenging. Like parking planning, we have been working on the design and financing plan for a new terminal for more than five years and will officially break ground this August on the core part of the project. I want to be transparent – these huge construction projects can’t happen quickly, so we will experience congestion in the terminal during our busiest hours at the airport for a while. This is a temporary situation, and please know that great things are coming! So, now, my words of appreciation. Thank you for looking a little deeper and little farther into the future with us. We’re working hard to continually improve your experience as we build for the future AVL. It’s going to be worth it, I promise. It’s a pivotal time for your region’s airport. We ask for your patience, and for your continued patronage. I know it’s a big ask, but please know that the people working hard every day to move our airport forward are your friends, your neighbors. We live here, too, and we love our region. We want our airport to be amazing and something we can all be proud of. This growth is in large part due to all of you, and I thank you for choosing AVL. I invite you to join in our excitement as we build for the future. We will launch a special section of our website in early August, coinciding with our official groundbreaking for the new terminal. This site will be a place where we will keep all progress reports up-to-date and where you can engage with us with your questions or concerns. Stay tuned. Blue skies, Lew Bleiweis, President & CEO Source: Asheville Regional Airport | 
