Quick summary:
- Alexandria International Airport (AEX) partnered with Nanolumens to modernize its terminal with Nixel Series Flex and Engage Series LED displays.
- The installation includes a curved LED display above security, flight information displays, and gate signage.
- The project demonstrates how smaller regional airports can enhance the traveler experience through innovative display technology, with AEX already planning a second phase of the installation.
Alexandria International Airport (AEX) about four miles west of downtown Alexandria, LA. The smaller regional airport recently underwent a technological upheaval focused on replacing the existing LCD television monitors with Nanolumens displays to enhance the traveler's experience.
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AEX was previously a front-line U.S. Air Force utilized during World War II and was used throughout the Cold War. When the Department of Defense moved to close the base in the early 1990s, the city of Alexandria formed the England Authority to take over the property instead. AEX opened for service in August 1993, and commercial airline service followed three years later, connecting travelers to hubs including Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston. Nearing its 20th anniversary, England Authority aviation director Scott Gammel wanted to modernize the building’s centerpiece architectural feature without compromising the landmark identity the community had built. “This terminal was never just a building to us,” Gammel said. “It’s a landmark we built together, and everything we do to it has to fit that.”
The terminal’s existing LCD television monitors no longer supported the airport’s vision for the space. Their limited content flexibility meant passengers encountered the same material for years, rather than information that could be readily updated. AEX needed more adaptable displays that could support flight information, advertising and text announcements while fitting the terminal’s distinctive architecture.
To meet those needs, AEX selected Nanolumens Nixel Series Flex and Engage Series throughout the terminal. The Nixel Series Flex display replaced standard television monitors on the terminal’s first floor. Measuring 27.6x2.5 feet with a 2.5mm pixel pitch, the convex curved LED display follows the curved wall above security, creating a continuous digital canvas that feels integrated into the architecture.
“It’s brighter, it’s crisper, and it changes your whole mindset walking in,” Gammel said. “Before, you had the same thing on the screen for years because you couldn’t really change it. Now it’s just your imagination that limits what you can put up there.”
Nanolumens Nixel Series combines flexible LED technology with custom engineering to create smooth, uninterrupted displays that follow curved surfaces and unconventional shapes. The Nixel Series’ integrated mounting designs allow the display to fit the architecture, giving AEX a way to modernize its signature wall while preserving the curve that makes it distinctive. The result brings the terminal’s architectural character and digital content together in one cohesive feature.
Near the elevator and ticketing area, an Engage Series flight information display (FID) measures 13.8x.3 feet with a 1.8mm pixel pitch, placing flight details where travelers enter and move through the terminal. Engage Series gate information displays (GID) also serve the airport’s four jetway gates. Each measures 4x1.1 feet and features a 1.8mm pixel pitch, extending the installation into the boarding areas.
Gammel wants the installation to show other non-hub airports what’s possible with the right partner. “You don’t have to be the size of a major hub to give travelers a great experience,” he said. “We wanted to show that a small airport can still make a strong first and last impression.” Encouraged by the results, the England Authority is already planning a second phase with Nanolumens that would extend a second-floor column into a full LED display.
For Gammel, the partnership was as valuable as the display. “You develop relationships, and that makes a big difference,” he said. “Their team stayed involved and made us feel valued throughout the process. That’s what a great partner does.”
