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The TAIT board approved the construction contract to Flintco and accepted the FAA grant. Construction is expected to start in early April 2024 and completed in November 2025. Operations are expected to begin in December 2025.
Purpose
Provide screening of commercial passenger and general aviation flights arriving from outside the United States.
Justification
Background: Tulsa International Airport’s (TUL’s) existing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office is located near the airport terminal, adjacent to cargo warehouse facilities. The 1,272 square foot facility requires CBP officers to travel to arriving aircraft to conduct inspections on aircraft ramps, typically adjacent to Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) or corporate hangars. CBP notified the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust (TAIT) in 2016 that the TUL facilities were inadequate to accommodate their mission and that they would cease operations at TUL unless TAIT can provide a new facility that meets their current design standards.
In 2019, TAIT engaged an architectural and engineering firm to begin preliminary conceptual design of a new facility and in February 2020 had selected a location adjacent to the terminal building that would provide adequate space to build a new facility that would accommodate airside access for agents and terminal access for passengers to enter upon successful clearance through the CBP inspection. The entire project was put on hold in March 2020 because of declining activity and revenues because of the COVID 19 pandemic. As the construction start date nears, CBP continues to operate out of their existing facility under an annual agreement.
Impacted Users
Existing: Corporate charters and private operators are the predominant users of existing CBP services. Periodically American Airlines will fly a flight crew (without passengers) from an international airport to Tulsa for maintenance work that requires inspection. Also, cargo operators are regular users of CBP services.
Planned: A new combination FIS and GA facility will be constructed to current CBP standards to meet both the needs of commercial air carriers that would provide connections to Tulsa from international destinations (most likely Mexico, Latin America, and Caribbean) and the GA users that receive services today.
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1
December
2023
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Plan SubmittalExecute Grants and construction contract, Issue Notice to Proceed and Contractor to start material procurement. |
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24
January
2024
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Ground Breaking
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1
April
2024
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Start Construction
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1
November
2025
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Complete Construction
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1
December
2025
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Begins Operation
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