CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi International Airport officials said Wednesday it’s going to cost about $17 million to renovate the region's airport.
"Construction will basically last the whole calendar year of 2023,” said CCIA Aviation Director Tyler Miller.
The federal government is covering 90 percent of those costs, he said.
Those dollars also will help pay to replace the air conditioning system, along with things such as the roof and all of the windows. An outdoor terminal patio is also planned for the concourse.
Corpus Christi City Councilman Roland Barrera welcomes the renovation project, but he's really eager to see a new airline come down that will offer non-stop flights to place such as Las Vegas.
"We just need to be able to utilize those funds so, that way, we can, you know, enhance that experience and get people to say 'Hey, we can fly out of Corpus Christi' and hopefully we can get some direct flights,” he said.
He told 3 NEWS he's heard from a lot of residents who say they would use the airport more often if there were more direct flights out of here to places like Las Vegas, Denver, and Orlando.
The airport is also accepting bids for the job of running the restaurant and gift shop businesses here.
Officials are hoping that whoever gets the job will be able to bring in local companies to provide some of those services.