Oakland International Airport considering major expansion project, seeks community input on EIR

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Leslie Campbell flies a lot. And she usually flies through Oakland. But she thinks the Oakland airport is in need of an upgrade.

"Oakland has been a little dated for a while. They have done little changes, but I think an expansion will be great for the city," says Campbell, who lives in Alameda.

On the table, is a new proposal to expand and modernize the Oakland International Airport.

The publication of the draft Environmental Impact Report, which is one of the first steps in the process, was released last week.

"This is definitely a milestone for the Oakland airport. We have not modernized the airport since it was built," says Colleen Liang. She is the Acting Director of Environmental Programs and Planning for the Port of Oakland, which owns and operates the Oakland International Airport.

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The proposal includes constructing a new terminal, adding 16 more gates and to expand the international arrival facilities. Along with adding more parking, it will modernize Terminal 1 and 2, making improvements to areas like ticketing, baggage claim and security screening.

"Great! Especially with the security check lanes. There is always long lines. Everybody that flies Southwest generally flies out of Oakland. I think it'll be good," says Campbell.

"We are going on an Alaskan cruise from San Francisco. Oakland seemed to be a less busy airport. We traveled southwest so this seemed the place to come," says Kirk Tolliver, who flew in from Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his wife.

Officials says the expansion project is also to keep up with expected demand. Oakland currently serves 11 million passengers annually. They expect that to grow to 24 million passengers by 2038.

In expanding the airport, they also hope to attract more passengers from the East Bay, many who may currently use San Francisco International Airport.

"We are the closest airport for more than 7.7 million people that live in the San Francisco Bay Area. So, definitely, it would be a convenient airport for cities in the East Bay to travel through our airport," says Liang.

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If the project is approved, it could still be several years before anything is built.

The proposal is currently in the 60-day public review and comment period. There will be two public meetings. The first will be August 15. The second will be August 30.

Anyone wanting to send a comment has until September 15.

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