The 2,600-space structure at Luis Muñoz Marín responds in part to rising parking demand, even as airport traffic dips and lodging and visitor spending climb
Puerto Rico’s visitor economy keeps expanding, and Aerostar is betting that the growth will keep arriving through the airport. Partly to that end, the company has signed the contract for a $173 million multistory garage at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LMM/SJU), adding 2,600 spaces it says will answer sustained demand from passengers, employees and rental-car customers.
The company says the structure answers sustained growth in demand for parking from passengers, employees and rental-car customers.
CB reported this month that the Foundation for Puerto Rico projects 2026 visitor spending near $7.9 billion, up 4.2%, and about 126,000 tourism jobs.
If construction begins soon after the contract is signed, a 39-month schedule would put the structure in service in early 2030, the same year the Foundation’s model projects visitor spending near $9.6 billion.
The new structure will have about 858,000 square feet of gross floor area and is designed for a service life of more than 75 years, subject to a proper inspection and maintenance program. It will be built to withstand the wind and seismic loads that apply in Puerto Rico, taking into account site conditions identified in the area, the company said.
The garage will join a multistory structure that already holds 3,686 spaces. Aerostar also recently opened a shuttle-based satellite service from The Mall of San Juan, with about 500 spaces, to meet high demand. Once the new garage opens, the airport will have about 2,600 additional spaces inside its facilities.
“This project is not just about adding parking,” said Jorge Hernández, president of Aerostar Puerto Rico. “It will also improve operational efficiency, vehicle and pedestrian circulation, safety and the connection between key areas of the airport.” The company says the project includes a new vehicle bridge linking the rental-car maintenance area to the new garage.
Local builders, design and built-in resilience
CIC Construction, a Puerto Rican company with 43 years in operation, will build the structure. Its projects include Vanderbilt Residences, the Ritz-Carlton Reserve at Dorado Beach, the St. Regis Hotel at Bahía Beach, Ocean Drive Residences at Bahía Beach, the Econo supermarket distribution center and facilities for pharmaceutical companies.
“It is a privilege for CIC Construction to have Aerostar trust our team to transform the main gateway to Puerto Rico,” said José Torrens, vice president of CIC Construction. “We take this responsibility with pride, and with the satisfaction that a Puerto Rican company can contribute to a project of this importance and, in doing so, drive the growth of our construction industry.”
The design is by Benítez, Ramos & Associates, a Puerto Rican architecture, engineering and project-management firm founded in 2011, with a multidisciplinary team of more than 60 professionals. The company estimates the project will take 39 months, a schedule that includes the vehicle bridge.
Support infrastructure includes an emergency generator, a 100,000-gallon potable water cistern and a rainwater-collection system. The structure will also be prepared for a future solar installation, although panels are not part of the current construction scope. The company said the structure will be ready to integrate a solar system at a later stage.
Hernández said these features reflect Aerostar’s plan to build resilience, operational efficiency and sustainability into its infrastructure projects. “We have been consistent in investing in technology, security, infrastructure and sustainability,” he said. “This new garage responds to a need for capacity, but it is also part of a broader vision of transforming Luis Muñoz Marín into a more modern, efficient facility prepared for the future.”
What the garage says about the visitor economy
Parking demand usually follows how travelers arrive and how long they stay. Lodging revenue rose 6% through September, room nights rose about 4%, and the island collected a record $163.6 million in room tax in fiscal 2025-26, according to CB’s reporting.
Cruise passengers rose 27%, and the Port of San Juan welcomed 1.3 million cruise passengers through September. Airline seat capacity is expected to rise 8% in the October-to-March peak, after Spirit Airlines’ May exit cut service, CB reported.
CB’s read is that the garage is a bet on the ground-side of the visitor economy, the cars, rentals and short-term stays that travelers use once they land, rather than on a rebound in airline traffic.
