Daren Griffin has barely settled into his new role at the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and he is already steering one of Central Ohio’s biggest transportation projects: CMH Next, a $2 billion rebuild of John Glenn Columbus International Airport. His immediate checklist is short but anything but simple: keep the aging terminal operating while a new one goes up, coordinate evolving security procedures at checkpoints, and make a compelling business case for a nonstop transatlantic flight out of Columbus.
The CRAA board named Griffin in December and he formally stepped into the job on Feb. 2, 2026, replacing Joe Nardone, according to FlyColumbus. He arrived from the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, where he led the MoreRNO modernization program, according to the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority. Griffin has been framing the Columbus effort in big-picture terms, repeating a line that has quickly become his calling card: “The CMH Next terminal project isn’t just an investment in concrete and steel,” he said while laying out his priorities.
What CMH Next Looks Like
According to the CMH Next project site, the plan calls for roughly 36 gates, about a 25% increase over today’s layout, plus two international arrival gates and a 5,000-space parking structure, with the current project estimate near $2 billion. Planning documents from CRAA board materials show the build is being staged so the existing terminal can stay open during construction, with the current facility slated for demolition after the new terminal opens in late 2028 or early 2029.
TSA, Security And Passenger Experience
Smoothing the security experience is an early focus for Griffin as passenger numbers rise and checkpoint procedures evolve. He discussed Transportation Security Administration staffing and identity-verification changes in a recent interview, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch. The authority has also been pushing operational updates and traveler guidance about optional identity-verification tools such as TSA ConfirmID through its public communications, including official social channels and its corporate presence on LinkedIn.
A Direct Flight To Europe?
One of Griffin’s signature goals is expanded international connectivity. The new terminal’s dedicated international processing space is meant to strengthen Columbus’s pitch to carriers for more overseas routes. Project planners say the added gates, increased international processing capacity and streamlined connections are designed to make transatlantic flying more commercially viable, and authority communications have pointed to seasonal Montreal service as an example of how regional routes can feed longer international itineraries. Those service aims are laid out on the CMH Next site and in CRAA announcements as part of a broader air-service strategy…