Delta Air Lines has opened five additional boarding gates at its Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) hub, building on a new long-term lease agreement signed by the airline and airport earlier this year.

SLC and Delta opened a new 900,000-ft.² “Concourse A” at SLC in 2020, when the first phase of the project was completed—with a promise to continue adding gates. The five new gates are part of a concourse that will eventually comprise 22 gates, all leased and operated by Delta.

“More gates will open later this summer, and the entire portion will be operational by Oct. 31, 2023,” Delta says in a statement.

Adam Ryan, managing director of Delta’s SLC operations, adds: “Delta operates more flights out of SLC than all other carriers combined, and the latest phase of this exciting airport project is completed in time to support one of our busiest summer seasons yet.”

Delta bases 5,000 employees at SLC, from which it will operate more than 230 peak-day flights to nearly 90 destinations this summer. 

SLC Executive Director Bill Wyatt says the airport has “been working nonstop since opening Phase 1—more than two years ago—to get to this point. To be here today took a lot of demolition work, a lot of steel and a lot of paving.”

Delta and SLC in January signed a new long-term agreement extending Delta’s lease of gates at the airport to 2044 and committing the airline to $2.8 billion in payments. The lease agreement calls for Delta to operate 66 gates at the airport by 2027.

The agreement has two five-year options for renewal, so Delta could operate on the accord's terms through 2054.