MONTEREY, CA, August 29, 2026 – The Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) team welcomed community officials, partners, neighbors, and local media today to tour the replacement passenger terminal, which is currently under construction and will open to the public in summer 2027. Learn more about the FAA-required MRY Metamorphosis Safety Enhancement Program (SEP) by visiting montereyairport.com/transform.

The up-close and personal “Dusty Shoes Tour” was led by MRY staff and contracting partners. Together they shared the terminal construction progress and showed tour participants how locals and visitors will travel through and employees will work at MRY.

Guests were greeted by Monterey Peninsula Airport District (MPAD) Board Chair Dino Pick, MPAD Vice Chair Mary Ann Leffel, MPAD Directors Jonathan Ahmadi, John Gaglioti, and Carl Miller, and MRY Executive Director Chris Morello. The airport’s welcoming message included a tour program overview; safety briefing; and emphasis on how the modern terminal design creates efficiency and accessibility for all airport users.

With the mass timber installation complete and construction starting on the interior walls, building siding, and glazing, guests were able to visualize how the 62,754-square-foot terminal’s architecture, layout, and spaciousness contribute to MRY’s welcoming new gateway and showcase the beauty and charm of the Monterey Region.

“We were able to show our community that the new net-zero energy ready passenger terminal is a similar footprint to our legacy terminal. Through carefully designed architecture, sustainable materials and practices, and efficient use of space, we are creating a reimagined airport experience for generations of travelers to come,” said Pick.

“We are pleased how our passenger facility is progressing and delighted to share the beautiful gateway the community will travel through beginning in summer 2027,” he continued.

The sneak peek included stations staffed by airport personnel and contracting partners and visuals of finished spaces, showing the locations of the:

• Curbside courtyard and how its design welcomes and provides wayfinding to arriving and departing travelers
• Common-use ticketing lobby, and airline employee work spaces
• Security checkpoint with multiple lanes to enhance screening safety and efficiency
• The Cockpit restaurant, to be operated by MRY’s award-winning Woody’s at the Airport owner, and a space for a retail or gift shop concession
• East and west concourses, where passenger hold rooms, five boarding bridges, and restrooms will be located
• Windowed observation deck with stellar views of the airfield
• Pre- and post-security pet relief areas, and
• Baggage claim with space for one large carousel and one carousel for oversized luggage.

“As we approach the end of summer, the sneak peek tour of Monterey Regional Airport’s replacement terminal is the perfect time to show our community how they will travel and work at MRY beginning in summer 2027, and take home a little construction dust souvenir in their shoes,” said Morello.

“There is so much opportunity built into this project, including transforming travel, enhanced airline service, careers development, tourism expansion, and regional economic investment. We were able to show and tell our tour guests how MRY will deliver a transformational travel experience and passenger services, which locals and visitors have asked for, while continuing to be a key economic partner for the Central Coast region,” she added.

Guests also viewed and learned about additional new passenger terminal support facilities:

• The 425,000-square-foot commercial aircraft apron, which received an Envision Verified rating from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, with room for eight commercial aircraft and ample space for enhanced safety and efficiency for airport personnel and parked and moving airplanes

• Long-Term Parking Lot, which began opening in phases in June 2026, and the location of the still-to-be-constructed Premium Parking Lot. Together, the two lots will offer 440 public parking spaces.

• Rental car building and vehicles adjacent to the new terminal with no shuttle ride, and

• Roadway improvements, including a roundabout at the airport entrance at Olmsted Road and Garden Road, for enhanced traffic flow and safety and reduced congestion at the curbside.

Tour messaging included how MRY staff and contracting partners emphasize safety for the airport overall and at all SEP project sites.

The $200 million terminal, located east of MRY’s legacy terminal originally built in 1950, was designed and is being constructed with the goal of achieving LEED* Platinum certification. The MRY Metamorphosis Program, including the terminal project, are funded by FAA Airport Improvement Program grants, a low-interest federal loan, bank financing, and airport revenues and passenger user fees. State and local taxes are not funding the program.

As the MRY Metamorphosis continues, travelers are asked to visit MRY’s website, montereyairport.com, and follow @montereyairport on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updated information and travel advisories, and to share any feedback and questions through these communications channels.

*Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

###