Reno Airport MoreRNO Build Reaches 1 Billion Dollar Concourse Phase

Reno Tahoe International Airport has moved into the biggest and most visible phase of its MoreRNO transformation. Recent site work is preparing the airport for two replacement concourses that are expected to bring wider corridors, larger waiting areas, more food choices, and a modern gate layout through 2029.

The entire airport modernization program is valued at about 1 billion dollars, according to new reporting from The Nevada Independent. The concourse portion alone is a 650 million dollar investment, the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority says.

That is a big headline, but the useful traveler question is simpler: what changes now, what arrives later, and will the construction make a trip through RNO harder?

The short version for travelers

This is not an airport closure or an overnight terminal switch. RNO is rebuilding in phases while flights continue, which means the experience should change in smaller steps rather than one dramatic move.

For a trip in 2026, use the terminal and gate listed by the airline, allow a little extra time around changing construction paths, and check the airport’s current notices before leaving home. Do not plan around the future concourse names yet.

The bigger payoff comes later. The airport expects the new A and B concourses to be significantly larger than today’s B and C concourses, with more natural light, larger hold rooms, clearer signs, more local food, and more space around the gates.

Why Reno is rebuilding now

The existing concourses opened in 1981. Airport planning documents identify narrow hallways, small gate rooms, long walks, constrained aircraft space, and confusing sight lines as problems that become more noticeable as passenger traffic grows.

RNO expects to top 5 million passengers in 2026, airport leadership told The Nevada Independent. The airport also says passenger volume has risen 16 percent since 2019, creating pressure for facilities that can support both today’s crowds and future routes.

The replacement design is built around that growth. The official New Gen A and B concourse plan says the airport is preparing for roughly 5.5 million annual passengers by 2032.

More space does not automatically create a new nonstop flight. It can, however, give airlines more usable gates, reduce ramp conflicts, and make it easier for the airport to pitch Reno to carriers that need larger aircraft positions or more reliable turnaround space.

What the new concourses actually change

The gate count moves from 23 to 24, so this is not mainly a story about adding dozens of aircraft positions. It is about replacing aging rooms with flexible gates and giving each part of the passenger journey more breathing room.

Every gate is planned for common-use flexibility, which lets the airport adjust assignments as airline schedules change. The layout also includes dual taxilanes between the concourses so aircraft can move with less interference from another plane.

Inside, travelers should see larger waiting areas, additional concessions, improved restrooms, more public art, clearer wayfinding, and a design tied to the Sierra Nevada. Airport renderings emphasize wood textures, wide windows, mountain views, and more comfortable circulation.

The plan also adds built-in lactation rooms, an outdoor pet relief area, and accessibility features that go beyond the minimum building rules. Those details matter more on a delayed day than a glossy rendering does.

Construction will happen in stages

The airport is starting with the future Concourse A. Official planning calls for that concourse to open in 2028, followed by Concourse B in 2029, although large construction schedules can move as financing, materials, and operational needs change.

The old concourses cannot simply disappear at the beginning because airlines still need their gates. Crews will build, shift operations, and remove older facilities in a sequence designed to keep the airport functioning.

That makes gate confirmation especially important. A familiar airline may not always use the same area as construction advances, and temporary walking paths can change even when the flight schedule does not.

Phased work also explains why a traveler can see heavy equipment without finding a closed concourse. Early utility, pavement, and staging work often happens outside the passenger path, while the older gates keep handling departures.

Later phases may be more noticeable as airlines move into completed space and crews remove sections that have reached the end of their useful life. The airport’s job is to preserve enough active gates during every handoff, which is why the order of construction matters as much as the final design.

What has already improved

MoreRNO is larger than the concourse project. The expanded ticketing hall and reconstructed loop road are already complete, giving passengers more check-in capacity and a redesigned curbside approach.

A consolidated ground transportation and rental car facility, a new airport police and authority headquarters, and a central utility plant are also part of the program. The utility plant is designed to support the new concourses with lower energy and water use.

Travelers who have not used RNO recently may therefore notice changes before they ever reach a gate. The final concourse phase builds on those landside improvements rather than starting the entire modernization from zero.

Who pays for the transformation

The airport says the concourse project is backed by a 10-year agreement with signatory airlines. MoreRNO also uses a mix of airport revenue bonds, federal money, private investment, and revenue generated through airport operations.

RNO is financially self-sufficient and does not describe the program as a general local tax project. That does not mean travelers never feel an airport construction cost, because airline rents, landing fees, parking, concessions, and passenger facility charges are all part of how airport finances work.

The practical point is that the 1 billion dollar figure covers a broad, multiyear transformation, not one unusually expensive waiting room. The 650 million dollar concourse contract is the largest piece, while the roadway, ticketing, ground transportation, headquarters, and utility projects account for other parts of the program.

Travelers should therefore compare any future parking or facility fee change with the airport’s published rate and effective date. The existence of MoreRNO alone does not prove that a specific ticket, parking space, or rental car will cost more.

Will this lead to more nonstop flights?

Airport and tourism leaders clearly want that result, but a building cannot guarantee an airline route. Carriers choose markets based on demand, fares, aircraft availability, crew planning, and network strategy as well as airport capacity.

The new gates should make RNO more capable of handling larger airplanes and changing airline needs. That gives Reno a stronger sales pitch, especially for travelers who currently need a connection to reach Northern Nevada or Lake Tahoe.

The right signal to watch is not a construction milestone by itself. It is a firm airline announcement with a start date, schedule, aircraft type, and tickets available for sale.

That distinction protects travelers from booking around hopeful language. Airport officials can recruit a carrier and prepare a gate, but the airline still decides whether the route can earn enough revenue and fit its fleet plan.

For Reno and Lake Tahoe tourism, even a modest increase in nonstop choices could matter because it removes a connection from a short leisure trip. The benefit is strongest when the schedule runs on useful days and times, not merely when an airline adds a limited seasonal flight.

For the destination side of a trip, Deep Arrival’s Reno area campground guide can help travelers compare bases around the city. Our earlier report on RNO’s Park and Walk lot covers the current low-cost parking option separately.

MoreRNO is a long build, not a one-day reveal. The useful way to follow it is phase by phase: know what is open now, watch the gate transition dates, and separate the airport’s improved ability to attract service from any airline’s actual decision to add a flight.