PORTLAND — When officials formally opened a renovated section of the Portland International Jetport that had been shrouded by temporary walls and plastic barricades for weeks, those gathered focused on what wasn’t there.

“I actually wanted a gate 13,” Paul Bradbury, airport director, said Wednesday with a grin. “Fifty percent of airports in this country have a gate 13.”

While superstition prevented officials from creating a 13th gate, the $21.6 million project, announced in January, made several changes meant to improve traveler experiences — including for people with disabilities — and help Maine’s largest airport keep up with growing demand.

Three indoor boarding bridges designed to carry travelers to planes at gates 11, 12 and 14 were upgraded. Previously, passengers visiting the farthest gate had to walk along the tarmac, exposed to summer’s heat and winter’s chill.

The renovation also added seven ADA-compliant, single-stall restrooms; a new service animal relief room; and an extra-large restroom called an “adult changing station.” The changing station includes a table capable of holding an adult and an overhead lift system that can carry people in and out of wheelchairs. The accessibility upgrades will benefit those with disabilities as well as Maine’s generally aging population, Bradbury said.

Bradbury said the changing room is “a first in Maine” and among only a handful at airports nationwide. The Philadelphia International Airport opened a similar space in 2022, he told the crowd of airport workers, officials and members of the media.

A few minutes earlier, Bradbury showed off the space to Portland Assistance City Manager Greg Jorden and City Councilor Pious Ali. He called the changing area “the most critical” accessibility addition.

“You and your family can travel and have a discrete place to change and get prepared,” he told the pair.

Jill Johanning, an architect with Alpha One, Maine’s center for independent living, called the changing station a “gamechanger” for families that may not be able to fit into more typical accessible stalls. She hopes the new restrooms will help demonstrate need and inspire other businesses and public spaces to install similar facilities.

“The single user or family restrooms are also a great benefit for families with young children, or where caregivers may be of the opposite sex, for the blind or low vision community, or visitors with service animals,” Johanning said in an email. “There are still plenty of barriers to air travel for people who travel with mobility devices, but this is a great start for Portland.”

GROWTH-MINDED ADDITIONS

The renovations added roughly 4,200 square feet of space to the concourse, expanding its floor area by 7%.

The changes come as the jetport has become increasingly busy. The airport saw roughly 2.44 million ticketed arrivals and departures in 2024, a record, Bradbury said.

“In 2025, we are up 11.5% year-to-date through June,” he told the crowd, “with all-time records set for April, May and June.”

Most of the project’s funding came from a pair of Federal Aviation Authority grants, together totaling $18.8 million. The jetport itself put up $2.1 million, and the state covered $740,000, Bradbury said.

The new jet bridges accounted for more than half the project’s cost, about $12 million in construction, he said. The remaining $9.6 million covered the indoor expansion as well as engineering and design for the entire project. Turner Construction Co., headquartered in New York, installed the bridges, and Portland-based Optimum Construction oversaw the indoor construction.

Beyond shielding passengers from the elements, the new bridges can supply power and pre-conditioned air to docked planes, limiting their need to burn fuel while stopped at the gate, Bradbury said.

“That air conditions and heats the aircraft, so we don’t have to use the auxiliary power unit or the small jet engine on the aircraft,” he said. “Just like homes in Maine are now switching to heat pumps and electrification, it’s the same thing for our ground surface.”

Bradbury said similar air and power upgrades are planned for gates 3-7.

The jetport took in more than $52.1 million of revenue during the 2024 fiscal year, including over $11.8 million in capital grants and contributions and more than $31 million of operating revenue, according to its latest financial report. During that same time, the airport’s operating expenses were just under $30.8 million.

The jetport currently serves nine airlines, including Sun Country Airlines, offering seasonal service to Minneapolis, and Avelo Airlines, which launched its first Portland flights in May.

The gate 11-14 renovation was one of several projects in development at the jetport, including a controversial attempt to expand surface parking, which is currently stuck in legal limbo.