Sun Country's labor woes leave MSP gates in limbo

Sun Country Airlines' labor woes could affect when and where gates are added at Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport.

Sun Country carried 1.7 million local travelers last year. But the airline and its pilots have spent years trying to bargain a new contract. Management has warned that the airline could be shut down if the dispute continues.

That uncertainty raises questions about plans to add three gates at Terminal 1, where Sun Country operates, said Metropolitan Airports Commission vice president Gary Warren.

"The long-term growth of the airport would suggest that these three gates would eventually be used," said Warren, who oversees airport planning. "We were on track to have them in play by the fall of 2016."

Warren expects most Sun Country customers would switch to other carriers, should the airline shut down. But that could require adding gates at Terminal 1. Sun Country and its pilots are in talks overseen by the National Mediation Board.