The History and Growth of Fort Lauderdale International Airport - FLL The Early 2000s Ironically, Fort Lauderdale's Terminal 1 was not built and established with the other three terminals of the airport. Instead, Terminal 1 was not put into place until the early 2000s, with different phases coming online between 2001 and eventually 2003. The construction consisted of two separate concourse hallways. The two channels allowed docking of 18 airplanes at a time. Continental Airlines made Terminal 1 home, gracing the frequent fliers with its President Club stopping point for layovers. By 2003 Fort Lauderdale Airport needed to grow again. Demand was booming again and the Airport needed to size up with it. However, it was the runways that needed rebuilding. One of the main traffic lanes was extended to allow movement of larger aircraft coming online. The tarmac was also redesigned for faster traffic and routing of passengers to reduce delay time. Unfortunately, all the expansion and increasing number of flights was also running into a new issue: local development. Homes and neighborhoods had been expanding through all the years Fort Lauderdale Airport was in operation. What were once fields were now streets and districts of suburban tract homes. Complaints regarding airplane noise were becoming local government issues that had to be addressed. Because of this impact conflict, the construction expected to be completed in the early part of the 2000s has been delayed repeatedly, putting ongoing use of Fort Lauderdale Airport for increasing plane size at risk. Additional delays also occurred thanks to Mother Nature. In 2005 two hurricanes raged through the locale causing significant damage. Hurricane Wilma and Katrina both blew through Fort Lauderdale. Katrina only grazed the Airport but Wilma landed a hard hit, causing structural damage to the roof, windows, and other facilities necessary for operations. The damage was so extensive, the Airport was out of operation for almost a week. In the same year Airport management expanded its car rental facilities adjacent to the Airport operations. This move broadened the reach of the Airport for travelers with a wider selection of vehicles for regional travel, taking advantage of the local highways in proximity including U.S. 1 and the Florida Turnpike. By the time the complex was completed twelve individual rental car agencies set up business operations in the new rental center. The total car population was almost 5,500 so it was fairly easy to get a car choice for most travelers. Home - The Beginnings 1970’s - 1990’s Early 2000’s FLL Airport Today Privacy Policy