One of the Most Iconic Airports in the World Is Getting a Major Upgrade

Dulles still uses cars with drivers to move passengers between terminals. Photo: Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock

Spanning more than 13,000 acres, Dulles is one of the largest airports in the United States by land area and is the primary airport for DC. But its age is starting show, especially as it still uses “mobile lounges,” in some terminals, also called people movers: square-shaped vehicles with drivers that transport passengers on the tarmac between terminals. But in about one year, a new $500 million terminal will open, creating 14 new gates for United Airlines (though it could cost up to $800 million). Some parts of the original airport building are somewhat small — built in 1962, when just under 60,000 people per year were moving through the airport– but the new terminal will be airy and roomy. The United lounge alone will cover 40,000 feet, and the new terminal will be 435,000 square feet.

A rendering of the new Dulles Airport expansion, planned to open in 2026. Photo: Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority

While $500 to $800 million may seem steep, it’s just a drop in the bucket for what’s eventually planned. Over the next 15 years, a mix of public and private development will bring more than $9 billion in funding to the airports, including $7 million more for Dulles and $2 billion for DCA, or Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (often just called “National.”)

 

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Eero Saarinen’s design for Dulles International Airport was groundbreaking at the time, representing the perceived motion and futurism of the jet age. Engineers created a suspended roof structure with very narrow, slender concrete columns, creating a sense of brightness and open space that was both unique and architecturally ahead of its time. The main arrival terminal features nearly floor-to-ceiling walls, filling the space with natural light, even when it’s crowded.

Dulles was also one of the first airports to implement what airlines call “Common Use Passenger Processing Systems” (or CUPPS), allowing airlines to share check-in counters. It means more airlines can operate in a smaller space, effectively allowing Dulles to host more flights and more airlines without sacrificing additional floor space to check-in counters. Today, Dulles serves about 12 million passengers per year, operating direct flights to destinations as far-reaching as Dakar, Senegal; Beijing, China; and Nice, France.