ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — While a massive renovation project progresses at Asheville Regional Airport, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be visiting to help enroll local travelers in the program that lets them clear the security screening process more quickly.
The agency’s mobile truck will be visiting the airport from April 15 to April 18 to help process applications for the TSA PreCheck program. By paying a $78 application fee and going through an identity proofing and screening process in advance, air travelers who are considered “low risk” can go through a more expedited screening process before flights.
Pre-registration is required for the enrollment event at flyavl.com/precheck. Limited appointments will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, Asheville Regional Airport announced in a release.
Applicants will need to bring documents proving their identity and citizenship status, such as a valid U.S. passport. They also will be fingerprinted for a background check.
The event comes at a time when Asheville Regional Airport is undergoing a massive renovation, as a two-story, steel frame now outlines the site of a future north concourse. According to the airport’s latest online update, “The contractor has finished the steel installation and concrete slab decking.”
Meanwhile, work on a new ticket lobby and temporary checkpoint also are progressing, and expansion of a south baggage claim area is scheduled to start in May.
The airport has been operating out of seven gates for many years. The new north concourse is expected to open with seven gates in the summer of 2025, which will allow work on the south concourse. By early 2027, the airport is expected to be fully open with 12 gates. Plus, there will be room to expand beyond that, Tina Kinsey, vice president of marketing, public relations and air service development, told 828newsNOW last month.
As Kinsey said at the time, “Right now, we do need to focus on how we manage providing a positive experience for the sheer number of travelers coming through while we are tearing down and building up. That’s a challenge as you can imagine.”
The passenger-usage numbers have been soaring in recent years. According to figures released in late January, the airport served 2,246,411 travelers in 2023, which was a 22 percent increase over the 1,838,793 served in 2022. For comparison, the airport served only 1,134,568 in 2018.
As Kinsey said in March, “It’s astounding that we continue to see more and more travelers. The months that used to be our slow months… We don’t call anything our slow month anymore.”