DULLES, VA — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority's board of directors approved a $19.9 billion construction program that would reshape Washington Dulles International Airport over the next 15 years.
Meeting in a special session on Wednesday, the board authorized a $15.5 billion increase for five packages of terminal, concourse, utility and transportation projects. Approximately $4.4 billion had already been authorized for work included in the program.
The expanded budget incorporates projects unveiled on July 29 as part of a redevelopment effort managed by the Airports Authority in partnership with United Airlines. Additionally, it builds on a 2024 use and lease agreement that included $7 billion in projects over 15 years.
The largest package, estimated at $6.2 billion, would renovate and expand the main terminal and Concourse A/B. The plans call for extending the terminal 300 feet to the east and west, renovating ticket counters, building baggage connections and adding a connector between the terminal and Concourse A/B.
The work would also require relocating maintenance shops, a warehouse, a flight kitchen and the airport's central utility plant. Some elements would need additional environmental approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before construction begins.
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MWAA expects to award the contract for that package in the fourth quarter of 2026, with construction tentatively beginning in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Another $3.75 billion would extend the airport's Aerotrain system west from Concourse A/B to planned Concourses G/H. That package would also include a central tunnel system for passengers and baggage. The authority has tentatively scheduled a contract award for late 2027 and the start of construction for early 2029.
The program includes $4 billion for the full buildout of Concourses E/F and a south central utility plant. The first phase of Concourse E is already under construction and is expected to open this fall.
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An additional $3.7 billion would pay for phased construction of Concourses G/H. Work on the first two phases is scheduled to begin in 2028, while work on the final phases is not expected to begin until 2039.
The final package, estimated at $2.26 billion, would demolish Concourse C/D in stages and ultimately replace it with a 33-gate regional concourse. Demolition is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2031, with construction of the replacement concourse beginning in 2039.
MWAA said the dates and costs presented to the board are estimates that will need to be refined after contractors are hired. Opening dates for the new facilities have not been confirmed.
The additional budget authority includes an estimated $14.2 billion in new bonds, $150 million in grants and approximately $1.1 billion in passenger facility charge revenue. The passenger facility charges would support debt service on about $1.1 billion in bonds.
The amendment authorizes $48 million in project spending during 2026. That includes $8 million for the Aerotrain and tunnel package, $16 million for the Concourse E/F package and $24 million for the first phases of Concourses G/H.
No taxpayer funding will be used for the airport projects unless it is specifically provided through federal grants, according to MWAA.
Other elements discussed as part of the broader Dulles redevelopment effort, including a parking garage, were not included in Wednesday's action. Those projects are expected to use other funding methods and will be considered separately.
Airports Authority President and CEO Jack Potter used his remarks to address claims that Dulles passengers would pay a $90 premium on each airline ticket to finance the construction.
No such line-item charge will be added to tickets, Potter said. The only airport passenger fee is the congressionally authorized $4.50 passenger facility charge used by airports across the country. Airlines determine ticket prices based on market conditions, demand and other factors.
Potter said the figure being cited appears to refer to "cost per enplanement," an aviation-industry metric used to estimate what airlines pay to operate at an airport. It is not a fee charged directly to passengers.
Dulles' cost per enplanement is expected to rise gradually as construction progresses, potentially reaching between $60 and $65 near the end of the program, Potter said. Continued growth in passenger traffic is expected to help offset that increase.
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