(Photo By Flickr User Washington State Dept Of Transportation)

“This is the new Ray LaHood International Terminal at Peoria International Airport!”

According to cinewsnow.com, this will be the first building some overseas flyers visit here in the U.S.

The $11 million 22,000 square foot addition includes full-service customs and border protection.

It also allows any stranded international flyers to get off the plane and walk around, yet remain separated from other travelers, thereby ensuring security isn’t compromised.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary & Peoria, IL Native Ray LaHood said,

“It really allows opportunities to have everything under one roof, to move people through airports, to move them through the security, to move them through the process. They need to move through when they’re coming in on an international flight. This allows for a lot more space for international travel.”

The director at the General Wayne Downing International Airport said his goal is to make flying in and out of PIA so hassle free, that it becomes the number one choice for flyers within 75 or 80 miles of Peoria.