Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport (OKC) is soliciting bids to build a facility to handle arriving international passengers, including a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) checkpoint.

The domestic-only airport, which is seeking international service, already has a completed gate and boarding bridge enabling it to handle international flights, part of a terminal expansion project finished in 2021. The new project “will construct the space on the lower level of the terminal where international passengers will be cleared for entry into the U.S.,” OKC says in a statement.

The cost of the work is projected to be $12 million, and the airport is aiming to have the facility open by the end of this year.

“This project will bring nonstop international flights to Oklahoma City,” OKC Director Jeff Mulder says.

The airport is targeting Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America as potential markets for international flights. “Airport staff have met with airlines over the last year to recruit them for new service,” OKC says. 

OKC “already has many leisure travelers from central Oklahoma who travel to Mexico and the Caribbean through airline hubs," Mulder notes. "We also have a growing population of residents from Mexico and Central America who live in central Oklahoma.”

OKC handled 4.4 million passengers in 2023, up 11% over 2022 and about even with 2019. Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines all operate domestic flights from OKC.