The city of St. Louis is searching for a public-private partnership for the St. Louis Lambert International Airport, according to a request for proposal document released on Oct. 4.
St. Louis is inviting interested partiesst to respond to the RFQ in the form of a long-term lease for the operation of the airport, which is owned and operated by the city.
In the RFQ, the city described the airport P3 as a “potentially transformative opportunity for the St. Louis region and for the U.S. infrastructure market.”
The process was launched in August 2018 with the appointment of advisers to help the city in considering an airport P3. If consummated, the airport P3 would be the most significant of its kind for a major commercial service airport in the continental United States.
The airport property spans more than 1,000 acres and offers significant commercial development potential, according to the RFQ. It features 83 gates and 15 passenger airlines, transporting 15.2 million passengers, as of 2018. Southwest Airlines represents 61 percent of the planes at the airport.
Established in 1920, the airport was the fourth-largest medium hub airport in the United States in 2018. It is located 14 miles northwest of downtown St. Louis and 10 miles from the city’s major metropolitan area.
The city is seeking proposals that demonstrate airport operations and maintenance expertise, financial capability, and capital improvement experience. The city plans to improve the airport through transformative refurbishments, which includes optimizing the existing terminal and airfield space, redeveloping the retail and concession offering, and developing the unused airfield and surrounding land.
The statements of qualifications are due by Nov. 1.
To read more about the RFQ, click here.
