Spokane Airport officials presented the airport’s proposed 2026 consolidated budget to the Spokane City Council on Nov. 10, saying the airport will be financially self-sufficient and is not requesting tax funding from the city or county.

Rob Schultz, chief financial officer for Spokane Airport, said the airport expects modest growth in 2026 — about 2 percent in passenger activity versus 2025 — projecting roughly 2.2 million enplanements and roughly 4.5 million total passengers. “We are financially self‑sufficient,” Schultz said, explaining the airport’s operating revenues come from airport users and concession programs, not local taxes.

Schultz said operating revenue is projected at about $65 million in 2026, with operating expenses near $48.8 million (excluding depreciation). The airport’s capital improvement program is budgeted at about $127.6 million, funded through a mix of operating cash, reserves and bond proceeds; Schultz noted roughly $64 million from the 2024 bond issuance will support Concourse C, a fuel facility and an administrative building.

Key capital projects include completion of the Concourse C terminal expansion, which is expected to add three gates in 2026, a central-hall consolidation of checkpoints and baggage claim, airfield improvements, and surface‑parking and roadway upgrades. Schultz described a consolidated 2026 budget request of $185,433,578 and said the lower overall ask versus 2025 reflects capital timing as Concourse C moves toward wrap-up.

Council members pressed airport staff on a recently proposed commercial parking tax. “Based on our initial analysis … it would be applicable to the airport,” Schultz said, estimating the tax could remove about 4 percent of airport revenue if absorbed by the airport and could, under airline rate agreements, translate into roughly a 15 percent increase in costs for airline partners if passed through. Schultz added the city’s transportation network companies could attract some displaced parking demand if rates rise.

Councillors also asked about a February 2025 fire that damaged the Skyway Café at Feltz Field; staff said the affected restaurant and some terminal infrastructure are being demolished and renovated and that contracts are in place to rebuild. Staff further briefed the new Transload rail‑truck facility on airport property near Fairchild Air Force Base, saying it is budgeted for 2026 and staff are negotiating an operating agreement; the transload facility is intended to move freight from trucks to rail for regional distribution.

The presentation noted airport staff have met all bond covenants for rate coverage and debt service, and airport leaders answered council questions about staffing, utilities and debt-funded projects. No formal city appropriation was requested from council during the briefing; the airport said its board and the county have already approved the airport’s budget and the city’s action is the final step in the approval process.

Next steps: airport staff said they will return with required documents for the city’s final consideration and are available to provide additional detail on concession revenues, the transload operator agreement and the parking‑tax analysis.