Major improvements for the Tulsa International Airport (TUL) mean nonstop international flights will be landing at TUL in the next 5 years. Thanks to a new Federal Inspection Services (FIS) wing of the airport which will include customs and an international terminal, travelers will be able to fly in and out of the country without stopping at a larger hub airport.
“Basically, you are going to be able to fly from here to Mexico and back or Cozumel or out of the country and back without stopping in Dallas or driving to Dallas and then getting on a plane,” says Frank Relja, director of engineering and planning for the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust (TAIT).
TUL has never had an international flight because it didn’t have customs large enough. Currently, there is a small U.S. Customs and Border Protection office that can clear private/charter flights of 20 passengers or fewer and cargo flights, but nothing that can accommodate large commercial aircraft.
“An airline is not going to come into TUL on an international flight if they don’t have a way to go through customs,” Relja said. “How many aircraft will this terminal have the first year? Well, we really don’t know. It’s one of those ‘build it and they will come’ things.”
Selser Schaefer Architects has teamed up with aviation and mobility specialists Corgan to design and construct this game-changing addition to TUL. The new 45,000-square-foot FIS facility will be the first thing travelers see upon pulling up to the airport.
