07/09/2026
Tuesday’s event was exactly what we hoped it would be — a room full of partners who believe in this region and what it can become. Nearly 100 community leaders, elected officials and regional partners gathered at the Eugene Airport for the Lift Off EUG Expansion Showcase, and the energy in the room reminded us why this work matters. We're grateful to everyone who attended, and especially to our speakers who gave voice to what this project means for everyone who relies on EUG to get where they're going.
Our Lift Off EUG Expansion Showcase Speakers included:
🎙 Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson
🎙 Eugene Airport Director Cathryn Stephens, A.A.E.
🎙 U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle
🎙 Oregon State Rep. Nancy Nathanson
🎙 University of Oregon President Karl Scholz
🎙 Oregon State University President Jayathi Murthy
🎙 Courtney Flathers, representing Gov. Tina Kotek
Thank you also to KVAL, KMTR, KEZI, The Register-Guard, KLCC, Lookout Eugene-Springfield, Orange Media Network, and Construction Review for covering the story, and to the airport team and our partners for making the day possible.
✈️ CONCOURSE A — UNDERWAY
Concourse A improvements broke ground this summer and will be complete in 2027. This phase adds 10,000 square feet to double the size of the main concourse, bringing expanded passenger seating, heavily upgraded restrooms and a noticeably more comfortable gate experience. It's also a full infrastructure overhaul: brand-new TSA screening equipment on a dedicated floor and a centralized inline baggage handling system will clear up the bottlenecks travelers know too well.
🔜 CONCOURSE C — THE NEXT CHAPTER
Concourse C would add eight gates — including a charter-capable swing gate for charter flights and larger aircraft — and open EUG to nonstop routes that currently require a two-hour drive to Portland. Think direct flights to Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, Austin and Honolulu. This phase also includes a ticketing counter expansion and baggage claim expansion throughout the terminal, for a better experience at every step of the journey. Funding has not yet been fully identified, but the case is clear: full expansion is projected to grow the region's annual economic impact from $1.6 billion to an estimated $3.6 billion and support 23,561 jobs — giving nearly one in six Oregonians a bigger, better regional airport that gets them where they need to go.
The path to Concourse C runs through partnerships like the ones in that room — and we’re grateful to be building it with this region.
Read the full story: https://liftoffeug.com/leaders-lawmakers-and-universities-unite-behind-eugene-airports-next-phase/
