PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Plans to expand the Palm Beach International Airport are underway as the county seeks to handle growing demands.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Palm Beach County's population has taken off. According to public records, from 2019-2024, total operations increased by 24%, with about two-thirds of air traffic coming from private jets.
Officials with the County’s Department of Airports said if they don’t grow, at some point between 2028 and 2032, the airport won't be able to keep up with the population growth without serious delays.
Matthew "Whiz" Buckley, a U.S. Navy veteran, Top Gun graduate and fighter pilot with decades of private and commercial aviation experience, shares his thoughts on the expansion with WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman.
"Palm Beach has been way, way, way too slow, way behind the eight ball," said Buckley. "They absolutely have to expand that airport."
"What happens when the population around an airport explodes but the airport stays the same," asked Hoffman.
"Just be ready to not be happy, or to book your fight extremely early,” said Buckley. “If you're going to try and book last minute, you're not going to have a choice of flights. So we have got to put up with the pain of expanding the airport. You never want to do it. You know, governments and local people always want to kick that can down the road until we get to a breaking point."
County officials have approved a number of projects at PBI aimed at expanding.
Some of the proposed upgrades are to lengthen and expand runways to accommodate more and larger aircraft. Also, a revamp of concourses with new restaurants, expanding security checkpoints and more should be done within the next three years.
County officials believe the project to upgrade the airfield will take anywhere from 10 to 12 years to be completed.
The project has been approved, the next step is an environmental impact study, but construction likely won't begin for another eight years.
