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President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled plans and renderings Wednesday for a $22.5 billion overhaul of Washington Dulles International Airport.
The project — developed with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and United Airlines — will add or renovate more than 5 million square feet at the airport, located about 25 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“This transformation is another step in our ongoing efforts to make Washington, D.C., safe and beautiful again,” Trump said Wednesday from the Oval Office.
DOT said the multiyear project will create thousands of jobs, generate billions of dollars in economic activity and allow Dulles to accommodate hundreds of additional flights.
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The plan calls for replacing Concourses C and D, adding gates and expanding the airport’s AeroTrain service, according to DOT.
It also includes upgrades to security screening, baggage handling, parking and pedestrian walkways.
Under the plan, travelers would also see more seating and lounges, including additional United Club space and one of the world’s largest United Polaris Lounges.
A new central walkway would make it easier for passengers to move between concourses, while another pedestrian route would connect travelers to a new U.S. Customs facility.
Officials said the improvements would eventually allow Dulles to phase out its mobile lounges, also known as “people movers,” which transport passengers across the airport.
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“We are going to get rid of the people movers,” Duffy said from the Oval Office. “… These are like elevated busses. … And they’re slow, and people are angry about them.”
DOT said it selected the plan after reviewing more than 30 proposals submitted following a December 2025 request for ideas to modernize the airport.
Construction will take place in phases over several years while Dulles remains open.
The $22.5 billion investment marks a significant increase from the $7 billion previously allocated for the airport’s modernization, according to DOT.
The project will be funded through municipal bonds, according to Reuters. Duffy said that United and other participating airlines will also contribute to the cost.
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“So it’s going to be bonded for $22.5 billion,” Duffy said. “United is going to partake in part of the payment. But the airlines who participate in the project are going to pay for it.”
Duffy noted the project still requires “some permitting” but that officials hope to begin construction as early as next spring.
Modernization work on the airport is already underway. The first section of the new Concourse E is expected to open later this year with 14 United gates, direct AeroTrain access and new passenger lounges, DOT said.
