Buffalo Niagara International Airport

The Buffalo Municipal Airport (as it was then known) opened in 1926 on former farmland, making it one of the country’s oldest public airports. Passenger and airmail service began in 1927, with service to Cleveland. A WPA-built Art Deco terminal building featuring a v-shaped terminal with a large cylindrical tower began construction in 1938, and was completed in 1939. A new apron was added a few months later. Roadway and parkway improvements were made in the 1940s and 50s. The terminal’s first expansion, to 11 gates, which tripled the terminal’s square footage and added a restaurant, was constructed in 1955 to keep up with increasing traffic and larger planes. In 1959, after being acquired by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), the name was changed to the Greater Buffalo International Airport. A 1961 renovation/expansion remodeled the main terminal building and built a new control tower and another concourse for American Airlines. A second terminal (the “West Terminal”) was built in 1971 while it was hoped that an all-new airport would be built in the near future. The West Terminal was built to last ten years and had nine gates.

The new $56 million terminal (at newly named Buffalo-Niagara International Airport) opened on November 3, 1997 with 15 gates. The old terminals were demolished immediately to allow expansion. The new building was expanded in 2001, increasing gates to 25. In 2006 the main runway was repaved and extended 750 feet (230 m), its first major upgrade since 1980 and the secondary runway was extended 1,000 feet (300 m).

In late 2017 the terminal commenced a $65 million renovation and expansion as part of the airport’s 2013 sustainable master plan.[5] The expansion will create secure walkways on the east and west side of the terminal for arriving passengers, relocating the current central exit walkway. This will also create expanded curbside space for arriving and departing passengers. The current baggage claim area’s three flat plate baggage carousels will also be replaced with four sloped plate carousels, doubling the current capacity. The renovations are scheduled to be completed in 2019.[6] As part of the master plan, this expansion allows for the future creation of a new pier and international terminal south of the current east concourse.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Niagara_International_Airport