Belen Regional Airport (BRG) in New Mexico is proceeding with its long-planned new general aviation terminal. Before the current downturn in aviation business due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Albuquerque-area gateway had been seeing an increase in transient business aviation traffic since 2015, when its crosswind runway opened. The city is currently finalizing funding for the new terminal, which will carry a price tag between $5 million and $8 million, according to airport manager John Thompson.

The airport-operated FBO will occupy 4,000 sq ft of the nearly 20,000-sq-ft two-story structure, which will also house the airport’s five-bay aircraft rescue and firefighting station. It will include a passenger lobby and pilots lounge, as well as three a/v-equipped conference/training rooms and a café on the second floor with a shaded observation deck overlooking the runway. The new terminal will replace the current 1,200-sq-ft standalone private aviation facility, which will be retained for tenant use.

The airport, which features a 6,600-foot main runway, expects to break ground on the building by the end of the year, with an eye towards completion by early 2022.