Palm Springs Begins Airport Master Plan Effort

Palm Springs International Airport Launches Airport Master Plan Effort

PALM SPRINGS – The city of Palm Springs is initiating a new long-term planning effort for the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), which broke passenger records. The Airport Master Plan is a comprehensive look at the entire airport facility and its potential over the next two decades.

The plan will build on the current Airport Master Plan, approved in 2015, and consider short-, medium-, and long-term efforts to improve circulation, address constraints, and elevate the customer experience.

The Airport Master Plan is expected to take approximately 30 months to complete. The project will be led by the City’s selected airport planning firm, Mead & Hunt, and will kick off at the Airport Commission Meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend; meeting details are available here.

“Public participation is essential to creating an airport master plan that serves the entire community,” Harry Barrett, Executive Director of Aviation said in a statement. “Whether attending the airport open houses, commission meetings, or using our digital communications channels, we encourage everyone to tell us how they envision the future of Palm Springs International Airport.”

One immediate focus in the project’s planning efforts will be on the existing airport terminal, exploring opportunities for improving the passenger experience while also preserving the integrity of the original Donald Wexler design. Mead & Hunt is working closely with Gensler, the long-time architecture firm for the Palm Springs International Airport, and the Palm Springs Historic Site Preservation Board and staff to ensure that planned restorations stay true to the historic building while updating the airport facility to current federal, state, and local standards. Other project focuses include an updated passenger demand analysis, a financial implementation analysis, and a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis of the plan’s final list of proposed projects.

The Palm Springs Airport Master Plan process has been designed with transparency in mind, and the airport will regularly provide information about the plan in person at open houses, via updates to the Airport Commission and City Council, as well as through the airport’s website. The planning process is primarily paid for through a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration through its Airport Improvement Program.