Bradley Airport Expands with New Corridor, Major Baggage Facility Underway

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. – Travelers at Bradley International Airport will now have quicker access to baggage claim and ground transportation thanks to the opening of a new exit corridor in the east concourse.

This corridor is part of a broader $250 million infrastructure upgrade that began in 2023. While the east concourse corridor is now open, its counterpart in the west concourse remains under construction and is expected to be completed later this summer, airport officials said Monday.

Once both corridors are operational, the terminal will offer two new exits and dual meet-and-greet zones to better accommodate passengers and improve flow.

“The construction at Bradley International Airport has been years in the making. We are pleased to see the first of these key projects nearly completed,” said Michael W. Shea, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority. “These exit corridors, and the other ongoing construction, are part of our long-term strategy to really optimize the flow and functionality of the terminal and ensure we are meeting the demands of current and future air travel growth at Bradley.”

The older exit corridor will be reconfigured into an expanded security checkpoint as part of the reorganization.

Additional Construction Underway: Inline Baggage Screening Facility

Bradley is also building a new 80,000-square-foot inline baggage screening facility designed to modernize the airport’s security infrastructure. The facility will house state-of-the-art explosive-detection machines and connect to airline ticket counters via a mile-long conveyor system.

Once operational, it will process approximately 2 million checked bags annually, routing them efficiently from check-in to screening. Completion of this project is expected by the end of 2025.

The infrastructure improvements are part of a multi-year effort to modernize Bradley International Airport as passenger traffic continues to rise. With demand for air travel rebounding post-pandemic and expected to increase over the next decade, airport officials say these upgrades are necessary to ensure efficient and secure travel.

The enhancements not only aim to improve passenger experience but also align with federal standards for airport security screening systems. By moving baggage screening out of view and streamlining the process, the new facility is expected to reduce congestion at check-in counters and improve processing times.

Bradley International continues to play a vital role in the region’s economic development and accessibility. These infrastructure projects are being viewed as critical investments in maintaining its competitiveness as New England’s second-largest airport.

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Originally reported by Rob Polansky in Eyewitness News.