This week, Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) celebrates another major milestone in the AVL Forward terminal construction project on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 10:30am. Construction crews will place the final beam for the new terminal, marking the last structural milestone. This process is known as “topping out” and coincides with a ceremonial program. Topping out is a long-standing builders’ tradition that celebrates the completion of a structure’s frame, and this one comes almost exactly one year after the final phase of construction began on October 2, 2025.
“Topping out is the moment a building stops being a plan and starts being a place,” said Lew Bleiweis, A.A.E., President and CEO of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. “Every name on that beam belongs to someone who helped get us here. We’re proud to see the last piece of the structure go up, and even prouder of what it means for the travelers and the western North Carolina community we serve.”
This final phase of construction includes the demolition of the main entrance and south portion of the legacy terminal as well as the old Air Traffic Control Tower while building the new terminal’s grand lobby, south baggage claim area, administrative offices, permanent TSA security checkpoint and the new south concourse.
“In July 2024, we celebrated the topping out of the first phase of construction. Getting to raise the final beam for the last phase is a full-circle moment for our team,” said Matthew DeCarli, Project Manager, Hensel Phelps. “I’ve been with AVL Forward since the beginning, and it’s been a privilege to watch this terminal take shape alongside an airport team that has kept passengers moving through every step of construction. We’re proud to carry that momentum into the final stretch.”
