Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is moving closer to a significant capacity milestone, with a newly constructed Terminal 5 slated to open in mid-2026. The facility carries a price tag of $404 million and spans roughly 230,000 square feet, housing five domestic boarding gates designed to absorb the airport's growing passenger load.

The new terminal is one pillar of a broader modernization effort underway at South Florida's second-busiest airport. A second major project — a $260 million inter-terminal connector — will link Terminals 1, 2, and 3, allowing travelers who have cleared security to move freely between concourses without returning to the main ticketing hall. That connection is expected to be complete by late 2027.

Together, the two projects represent more than $660 million in capital investment at an airport that has long operated under capacity pressure as Miami-Dade's Miami International Airport absorbs the bulk of the region's international traffic. FLL has carved out a niche as a high-volume hub for budget and leisure carriers, and officials have signaled that the expansion is necessary to keep pace with sustained demand.

The construction activity also ties into plans for the PREMO Intermodal Center, a proposed multimodal transit hub that would improve ground-side access to the airport and connect passengers to regional transportation networks. Details on PREMO's timeline and funding remain in development, but its inclusion in the airport's long-range planning signals an intent to address the notorious roadway congestion that plagues the terminal area during peak travel periods.

For Broward County, the investment represents one of the largest infrastructure commitments in recent memory, with ripple effects expected across the local hospitality, logistics, and commercial real estate sectors. A more connected, higher-capacity FLL could also intensify competition with Miami International for domestic routes, giving South Florida travelers more options at both ends of the region.

Construction timelines at large airport projects are historically susceptible to delays tied to supply chains, labor availability, and regulatory approvals, so the mid-2026 and late-2027 target dates will be closely watched by airlines and aviation planners alike.

The original reporting on FLL's expansion program was published by Le Soleil de la Floride.