Will Continue With Multi-Million Dollar Expansion Plan

Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport (KLBE) in Latrobe, PA say they will continue with a multi-million dollar terminal expansion project despite a drop in passengers using the airport.

Passenger traffic has dropped by 20 percent compared to last year, according to a report from the McClatchy News Service. But the expansion plans have been in the works for years, according to Donald Rossi, the head of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority's property committee and a former chair of the body, who said the airport is building for the future. Construction is set to begin next year.

Spirit Airlines has increased the number of passengers flying in and out of Latrobe from 64,000 to 356,000 since 2011. A full expansion would add two gates and expand the passenger security checkpoint, according to architect Ethan Hine. A second proposal for a smaller expansion would add one gate and accommodate 360 additional passengers, he said.

The project had previously been estimated at about $10 million, but a consulting engineer declined to give any updated estimate for either of the projects.

The airport has seen a decline of over 70,000 passengers in the first three quarters of this year when compared to the same period in 2015.

FMI: www.palmerairport.com