page_title: St. Louis Lambert International Airport
section_title: 2017–present: Continued growth
hierarchical_section_title: St. Louis Lambert International Airport / History / 2017–present: Continued growth
caption_attribution_description: English: Brand new Cessna Caravan 208B EX model, N942AC.
context_page_description: St. Louis Lambert International Airport, formerly Lambert–St. Louis International Airport, is an international airport serving St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It is 14 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. Commonly referred to as Lambert Field or simply Lambert, it is the largest and busiest airport in Missouri with over 259 peak daily departures to 78 nonstop domestic and international locations. Lambert is the largest medium hub airport in the country. Lambert covers 2,800 acres of land.
  Named for Albert Bond Lambert, an Olympic medalist and prominent St. Louis aviator, the airport rose to international prominence in the 20th century thanks to its association with Charles Lindbergh, its groundbreaking air traffic control, its status as the primary hub of Trans World Airlines, and its iconic terminal. St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the primary airport in the St. Louis area, with MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, about 37 miles east, serving as a secondary metropolitan commercial airport. The two airports are connected by the Red Line of the city's light rail mass transit system, the MetroLink.
context_section_description: In early 2017, Lambert began to renovate four unused gates in Concourse D and renamed them as E gates. This work was undertaken to accommodate the continued growth of Southwest Airlines at Lambert's Terminal 2 and was finished in time for the summer flying season.
  In May 2017, Moody's again raised its rating of Lambert's bonds and debt to A3 with a positive outlook from A3 with a stable outlook, primarily due to continued growth in enplanements, declining debt, and no major capital expenditures. By the same token, S&P issued an A- long-term rating with a positive outlook, up from A- with a stable outlook, citing "favorably declining debt levels and strong liquidity [as well as] stable passenger enplanement levels and a good competitive position that supports a good base of air travel demand". Later in the year, Fitch also raised its bond outlook to A- with a stable outlook from BBB+ with a positive outlook, citing many of the same reasons as the other two agencies.
  An August 21, 2017 FAA Press Release announced that Lambert was one of 67 airports selected to receive infrastructure grants from the U.S. DOT. The airport was granted $7.1 million for "Realignment and Reconstruction of Taxiway Kilo; Reconstruction of Taxiway Sierra from Taxiway Echo to Runway 12R-30L; Widening of Taxiway Kilo Fillet from Runway 12R-30L to Taxiway Delta; and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Runway 12L-30R Outer Panels and Replacement of Electrical Circuits".
  On August 23, 2017, WOW air announced that in 2018 it would commence four weekly A321 flights between St. Louis and Reykjavík, Iceland as part of a planned multi-city U.S. expansion. As part of the service agreement, the Airport and St. Louis County Port Authority combined for approximately $800,000 in incentives to market the route and waived landing fees for WOW air for 18 months, while WOW air guaranteed its services on the route would operate for at least two years. Due to strong sales, WOW added a fifth weekly flight in January 2018. The first flight from Reykjavík landed on May 17, 2018, becoming the first regularly scheduled commercial flight between St. Louis and any part of Europe since American Airlines discontinued European service in 2003. However, just five months later on October 15, WOW air announced that it would be ending the route, with the last flight planned on January 7, 2019. The announcement blindsided airport officials, who had been told that St. Louis was one of the airline's top-performing Midwestern markets not long before the cancellation and were under the impression that the airline was satisfied with the route's performance. As it turned out, St. Louis was just the first of several announced cancellations of new U.S. destinations by WOW, possibly due to ongoing financial difficulties at the burgeoning airline. Due to the cancellation, WOW did not meet the criteria to receive any of the offered marketing incentives, though it is unclear whether or not the airline would have to repay the waived landing fees.
  On October 30, 2017, American Airlines announced that it would close its St. Louis pilot base in September 2018, affecting 153 pilots and several administrative staff. American cited the retirement of older aircraft and network planning as the primary reasons for the shutdown. The move was not expected to affect services to the airport, but signaled the end of one of the final remnants of TWA's legacy at Lambert.
  In March 2018, the airport announced that STL Fuel Company LLC, the consortium that manages fuel services at the airport, had been cleared to construct a new $50 million fuel storage facility on the northeastern part of the airport property. The new facility will have three 722,000 gallon storage tanks initially, though there will be room for expansion. The current facility, located across from Terminal 1, was one of the first below-ground integrated aircraft fueling hydrant systems in the country when it began operations in 1957; its age and new environmental regulations are the catalyst for the move. Once the new facility is complete, the cur
caption: Cessna 208 Caravan of Air Choice One on the ramp at Lambert
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