Additional parking spaces coming to Wilmington International Airport

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - During peak seasons in southeastern North Carolina, parking can be difficult to come by at Wilmington International airport.

Soon, more spaces will be available as there are plans in the works to add two more parking lots to fulfill the needs of travelers.

More people moving to the area and more flights being added are two factors that can increase the need for parking at the airport. A record number of people traveled through the airport last year, and that made ILM take a good look at the parking situation.

Within the six parking lots, there are more than 1,500 spaces at the moment. However, during last year’s busiest seasons like summer and the holidays, they needed about 800 more spaces to accommodate the parking demand.

One of the new parking lots is expected to be open before the summer rush and the other is expected near the end of the year. These two lots are expected to add about 400 additional spots.

“I think that’s a great idea. Yeah. As they add more flights, I think they absolutely need more parking. Every time I pull up now I’m shocked at how many people are flying in and out of here,” said Kathleen McLean, a traveler who was flying out of ILM.

Jeff Bourke, ILM airport director, said that when they run out of spaces, they always make sure there is a place for your car, whether it’s in a space that’s typically not meant to be a parking lot or double parking cars in the main lot like they had to do around Christmas.

Bourke wants people to know that ILM is not out of parking right now, but there are times during peak seasons when it can become full.

The last thing you want to do is keep circling the lot, especially if you are running late for your flight. So, before you head to the airport, you can look online at the available spaces, how many are left and pay on your phone when you leave the lot.

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