Airport Passenger Terminals

More than just high-traffic buildings, airport passenger terminals are the heartbeat of the passenger experience and airport operations. From landside and terminal operations to airside, we provide strategic solutions that optimize terminal performance, improve the traveler experience, and address the evolving needs of modern aviation—from curb to gate.

West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal

Trusted Partners for High-Performing Terminals

Kimley-Horn has the experience to move your terminal project forward—regardless of scale, complexity, or delivery method. Our portfolio includes terminal work for airports like the Los Angeles International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and we tailor our services to the priorities that matter most to you:

• Passenger experience and enhanced passenger processing
• Operational efficiency and cost control
• Flexible infrastructure that adapts to future needs
• Code compliance and regulatory navigation
• Minimal disruption to operations during construction
• Seamless integration of airside and landside systems
• Sustainable and resilient design
• Emerging technologies to improve operations
• Internal and external stakeholder consensus building
• Existing terminal facility optimization

Multidisciplinary Services Throughout Project Phases

Across the terminal development lifecycle, Kimley-Horn offers a fully integrated suite of services. Our aviation professionals collaborate across the country but maintain strong relationships with local jurisdictions and airport stakeholders—streamlining permitting, approvals, and community engagement from initial planning, assisting with design, to construction.

Planning & Due Diligence

We can help you turn complex data into an actionable roadmap with services like:

• Terminal and facilities planning and optimization studies
• Programming and facility assessments
• Passenger flow and throughput analysis
• Aircraft gating analysis and parking apron layout / design
• Passenger boarding bridge docking analysis
• Simulation modeling
• Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Federal Inspection Services (FIS) facilities studies
• Project implementation/phasing strategy and future scalability modeling
• Airport Traffic Control Tower line-of-sight analysis
• Program and Project Definition Documents (up to 30% design)

Airport Design & Engineering

Our teams design with precision for real-world performance, leveraging services that include:

• Site civil engineering
• Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing MEP engineering
• Structural engineering for vertical infrastructure
• Parking garages and intermodal center design
• Curbside and landside access design
• Vehicular traffic flow, queuing, and roadway congestion analysis
• Construction phasing, access control, and safety planning
• Airside/landside integration

Airport Campus Planning and Design

We also provide planning, design, and engineering services that support other facilities throughout the airport campus including:

• Fire, police, and emergency response facilities
• Independent or remote CBP and FIS facilities
• Airport and airline support facilities (i.e., maintenance hangars, ground support equipment buildings, central receiving and distribution centers, etc.)
• Cargo handling facilities and infrastructures
• Rental car centers and service facilities
• Connectivity to rail, shuttle, and multimodal transit
• Automated People Movers (APM)
• Pedestrian and micromobility infrastructures
• Utility and resiliency systems
• Advanced Air Mobility flight corridors, facilities, and infrastructures

Integrating Planning and Engineering for Better Terminals

At Kimley-Horn, we have planners and engineers working under one roof to solve problems from a holistic perspective that are also implementable. This makes us great partners to architects to help complement the design team by providing infrastructure, utilities, structural, and other building systems services that bring architectural concepts to life and keep terminals operating 24/7.

From landside roadways and parking, airside aprons and fueling systems to stormwater detention and underground utilities, we deliver the technical foundation to help architects realize the client’s vision, while addressing each airport’s unique operation. With our MEP and structural expertise, we also provide full in-terminal design services—integrating lighting, Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), electrical, and fire/life safety systems for holistic project delivery.

Visionary Project Design

Our planning experts work closely with design teams to translate our client’s long-term vision into phased, buildable solutions. Whether you’re retrofitting an aging terminal, expanding to accommodate future demands, launching a new greenfield development, or planning multi-phase improvements, we offer the multidisciplinary expertise and stakeholder alignment required to get it right—on time, on budget, and with future flexibility in mind.