news-record.com

The cost of bringing discount airline Skybus to Piedmont Triad International Airport could soar to more than $56 million.

That's much more than officials said Monday when Skybus announced that the airline would open a hub at PTI and add seven new destinations.

Company officials said then that state and local incentives would be worth about $5 million.

However, the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority approved possible plans Tuesday for more than $52 million in airport improvements and marketing to support Skybus.

An $8.6 million first phase, to begin immediately, would include improvements to gates, ticket counters and passenger waiting areas. It also could include between 1,600 and 2,200 surface parking spaces.

A second phase, contingent on how many passengers Skybus brings to PTI, could include a new Skybus concourse and a $33 million parking deck. The parking deck is not a new item, however. The airport authority has been considering another deck for some time, but it will be needed sooner if Skybus brings more than 500,000 new passengers a year to the airport.

Read more on Skybus in Wednesday's News & Record.