On Wednesday, President Donald Trump outlined plans for a sprawling $22 billion overhaul and expansion of Washington Dulles International Airport. This project comes in as the United States gears up efforts to overhaul its major airports. Other airports that are undergoing renovation works include the Miami International Airport.
As part of a broader push to revitalize major landmarks throughout the nation’s capital, the president displayed architectural photos and a scale model of the proposed hub, which would eliminate the airport’s notorious “people movers,” expand parking by thousands of spaces, and fully overhaul existing terminals.
“We are announcing plans to add more than 5 million square feet of new or renovated space,” Trump stated during an Oval Office presentation. “We’ll replace the current C and D concourses, which are basic disasters, all the while preserving the iconic original terminal.”
Main Terminal Designer
Additionally, famous architect Eero Saarinen designed the landmark main terminal. The terminal opened alongside the airport in 1962 approximately 25 miles west of Washington, D.C. The mid-century modern design is widely recognized for its swooping, concave cable roof anchored by massive concrete columns.
Also, while calling Saarinen “one of the great architects of the world,” Trump noted that the original structure proved to be both an “asset and a liability” because “nobody wanted to build anything near it.”
Under the proposal, the facility would also gain a massive 32,000-space parking structure, which Trump noted would stand as the largest globally. The current record belongs to a complex in Edmonton, Canada, which accommodates roughly 20,000 cars.
Moreover, United Airlines, which operates a key hub at the airport, indicated that the overhaul is slated to unfold “over the next decade,” with ground breaking potentially beginning this spring.
A central element of the plan involves retiring the long-standing fleet of mobile lounges, bus-like vehicles used to shuttle passengers across the tarmac between concourses.
“It’s an impossible airport. You get off a bus, you go into a train, you get from a train, you get onto another bus,” Trump remarked.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that an interconnected “horseshoe train system” would succeed the mobile lounges, offering passengers “easy access to all of your gates.”
After reviewing submissions from over 30 architectural firms, the president framed the initiative as a broad, nonpartisan effort.
“Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, you don’t want to go and be subjected to this airport because this airport, it’s a terrible place to be,” Trump declared.
United Airlines to Help Fund the Expansion Project
Trump added that United Airlines will help fund the expansion. The expansion is set to feature the airline’s largest flagship Polaris lounge to date.
“This is not requiring federal dollars,” confirmed Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, while speaking to reporters. “This is going to be airport-generated dollars, airline contributions, which is phenomenal.”
Lastly, Trump asserted that undertaking the massive renovation “all at one time” would condense the timeline to just a few years, bypassing an initial phased estimate that could have stretched over 60 years.
“It’s time to ensure that the United States has the greatest airports anywhere in the world, and we’re starting right here with the capital city,” Trump concluded.
Washington Dulles International Airport Overhaul: Project Factsheet
Project Cost: $22 Billion-$22.5 Billion
Location: Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) — Chantilly, VA
Governing Entity: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA)
Primary Hub Airline: United Airlines
Funding Structure: Airport-generated revenue, municipal bonds, and airline contributions ($0 federal funding required)
Project Footprint: Over 5 million sq. ft. of new or renovated space
Target Completion: Projected over the next decade (construction potentially starting Spring)
Key Infrastructure Upgrades
- Terminal Replacement: Full replacement of existing Concourses C and D with upgraded, modern facility structures.
- Transit System Upgrade: Complete phase-out of legacy mobile lounge “people movers”. Replacement with a new horseshoe/U-shaped passenger train network, central walking tunnel, and moving walkways.
- Parking Expansion: Construction of a 32,000-space parking garage near the main terminal, positioned to become the world’s largest parking complex.
- Airline Amenities: Integration of the world’s largest United Polaris Lounge.
- Historic Preservation: Total preservation of the original 1962 mid-century modern main terminal designed by architect Eero Saarinen.
Project Team
Project Authority and Operator: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA)
Government Leadership and Direction:
- U.S. Federal Government: President Donald J. Trump (project sponsor and direct design reviewer)
- U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT): Led by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy
Primary Airline and Anchor Partner: United Airlines
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