Trump unveils $22.5 billion plan to overhaul Dulles International Airport

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled his $22.5 billion vision to rebuild Washington Dulles International Airport over the next 10 years in an Oval Office event alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.  

“We’ve had over 30 architects and 30 different designs, and we did a little cherry picking, and we spoke to a lot of people about it, and we’ve come up with a plan that’s efficient and really beautiful,” Trump said.

“Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, you don’t want to go and be subjected to this airport because this airport is a, it’s a terrible place to be,” Trump said. “It’ll be rated within a few years. It’ll be rated the best airport in the country.” 

Since beginning his second term, Trump has undertaken a number of projects around Washington, like the ballroom being constructed at the White House and a planned renovation of the Kennedy Center, which he briefly added his name to before a court ordered it removed.

The Dulles renovation will be funded by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the airlines that operate at Dulles. The majority of the funding will come from low-interest rate municipal bonds issued by the airport authority. Trump said the renovation will require some congressional approval, noting that there is bipartisan support for it.

Using a laser pointer, the president showed off renderings of what travelers can expect, including four new concourses, parking lots closer to the main terminal and an expanded AeroTrain which will scrap antiquated mobile lounges, known as “people movers,” which transport passengers between concourses.

The people movers are a top complaint among passengers who frequently use Dulles. The vehicles, which date back to the 1960s, resemble buses that raise to dock at concourses and lower to travel, are often packed with mostly standing passengers and move among airport traffic. They are a top complaint among passengers who frequently use Dulles.

“They’re slow, and people are angry about them. We are going to get rid of those,” Duffy said.

The multiyear project would change the landscape of most of the airport, but the iconic main terminal building would keep its historic appearance.

Dulles will add 5 million square feet of new and renovated terminal and retail space, including an international terminal that will allow passengers to walk directly to the Customs area. The president also claimed the airport will have the largest parking garage in the world with 32,000 parking spaces.

The airport’s biggest airline, United, currently operates most of its flights out of an outdated and cramped terminal that was built in 1985 as a temporary facility. It was rehabbed in 2006 in order to extend its life.

United has been working behind the scenes on the design and details of the project. In addition to new gates and concourses, United passengers will get a new state of the art check-in area in the main terminal and a faster baggage system. United will also build one of the largest United Polaris lounges in the world.

“The terminal that’s out there today was built 45 years ago. It was meant to be temporary, and so I’ve spent my whole career at United Airlines waiting for this day, and all the people of United Airlines have spent even longer waiting for the day that we could have really the best airport in the world, and this design is one that works great for the airline,” Kirby said in the Oval Office.

Officials said the airport will remain open during the renovation, which will take place in phases over 10 years in partnership with the airlines and the airport authority. 

In early design concepts released by the airport authority, one plan called for the main terminal to be named the Donald J. Trump Terminal. It is unclear if that will be part of the final plans. 

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2027, according to the Department of Transportation.

Trump said in December his administration planned “rebuild” Dulles. 

“It should be a great airport, but it’s not a good airport at all, it’s a terrible airport,” Trump said then.

In December, the Department of Transportation submitted a request for information (RIF) asking the public for proposals and public-private partnership plans to revitalize Dulles. More than 30 proposals and comments were submitted in response to the DOT’s request.