Asheville Regional Airport is a busy place again. Passenger numbers have rebounded to higher levels than before the COVID-19 pandemic, surprising officials. While it may have been a speedbump to passenger numbers, the pandemic didn't stop the planning for construction of a new, $230 million terminal twice the size of the current building, set to break ground next summer. Those plans call for a 275,000-square-foot terminal building to replace the current 113,000-square-foot terminal, Bleiweis said, with 12 gates and 12 loading bridges to replace the current seven gates and five loading bridges.