Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) Master Plan Update

LCPA is the operator of RSW, which has an economic impact of over $8 billion in the region, supporting over 60,000 jobs. RSW is a Medium Hub commercial service airport located in Fort Myers, Florida that serves as the primary commercial passenger gateway for Southwest Florida. RSW has experienced record growth in recent years and experienced one of the fastest passenger recoveries of any major passenger airport in the US. The Airport also experiences the most extreme seasonal peaking characteristics of any medium or large hub airport. The Master Plan outlines the framework required to maintain a high-level of service and class-leading passenger experience while meeting growth requirements.

ESA served LCPA as the primary author of the RSW Master Plan Update under local firm Johnson Engineering. Leading a team of respected subject matter experts from industry leading firms, ESA assisted LCPA in developing the goals and objectives of the study and worked with the team to implement them through the evolution of the study. In addition to serving as primary author and supporting every phase of the study, ESA led the critical aircraft determination, airfield capacity analysis, noise analysis, and environmental overview. ESA also developed the report template and graphics guidelines and compiled all information into a comprehensive and cohesive document. Planning Activity Levels (PALs) were used for all major project elements to allow the plan to be adapted to conditions and changes in demand over time. ESA further completed on-call tasks related to the Master Plan in environmental planning including NEPA reevaluation for key project elements. ESA’s Project Manager served as the voice of the project in public outreach meetings, leading public outreach meetings virtually during the pandemic. ESA’s in-house media team created high-quality production videos to show progress and lead the public discussion on the proposed Master Plan improvements. ESA also led all presentations and workshops with the Airport Special Management Committee and the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners leading to ultimate acceptance and approval for transmission to FAA and FDOT.

The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) includes 34 projects and $1.8 billion in investment over the initial 10 years of the planning period. These improvements include a new 14 gate passenger concourse designed for the forecasted fleet of aircraft, new terminal improvements to meet capacity increases and improve the passenger experience, new parking areas to handle peak parking demand as well as a better rental car experience. Other improvements include airport campus improvements such as a new public safety building to consolidate airport police operations and a consolidated maintenance complex. Longer-term improvements include a new parallel runway.