The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board approved $15.5 billion in additional authorization for the Dulles transformation.
The expanded program will raise Dulles’ 15-year capital construction budget to about $19.9 billion.
Work will include terminal expansion, new concourses, AeroTrain extensions, and a tunnel for passengers and baggage.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors approved a $15.5 billion addition to Washington Dulles International Airport’s capital construction budget, expanding a multiyear effort to modernize the 60-year-old facility.
The board action increases Dulles’ forward-looking construction budget to about $19.9 billion over 15 years. The initiative is being led by the Airports Authority in partnership with United Airlines and follows a broader modernization plan announced by the presidential administration in July.
The Airports Authority’s Aug. 21 news release said the program is intended to expand capacity, improve passenger movement and upgrade facilities while the airport continues operating.
Main terminal of Washington Dulles International Airport, in a May 2026 image. Image: Shutterstock
The project will be funded primarily through municipal bonds issued by the Airports Authority and repaid through rates and charges paid by airline tenants, along with authority-generated revenue. The Airports Authority’s finance committee report estimates the new authorization will include about $14.2 billion in bond issuance, $1.1 billion supported by passenger facility charges and $150 million in grants.
No taxpayer money is designated for the initiative unless government grants become available to cover part of the cost.
Airports Authority President and CEO Jack Potter also addressed speculation that Dulles passengers would face a $90 construction charge on airline tickets. He said the figure was based on an earlier estimate of cost per enplanement, an airport industry metric that is not a ticket surcharge. Negotiations with airlines have reduced the estimate to about $60 to $65, a level not expected until nine to 10 years into the program as projects are added to the airport’s cost structure.
The only airport fee appearing on tickets is the $4.50 passenger facility charge authorized by Congress for airports nationwide, according to Potter’s remarks.
A conceptual rendering of the Dulles International Airport Transformation Project. Image: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
The full scope of the approved Dulles modernization project includes five major “packages” designed to add new infrastructure and renovate current facilities, according to the Airports Authority. The packages are expected to be rolled out in phases over time to match the growth in consumer demand and airline needs.
The first major package will expand the historic Main Terminal, renovate ticketing areas, add TSA and U.S. Customs facilities, create a walkable connection to the A-B Concourse and add international gates.
The Airports Authority expects to select three qualified design firms through its current request-for-qualifications process, award a contract by the end of 2026, and begin construction in 2027.
Other buildout packages are expected to include:
Extending the AeroTrain system, the 3.78-mile underground automated people mover system opened in 2010 that transports passengers between the Main Terminal and Concourses A, B, and C
Building a center-spine tunnel for passengers and baggage
Expanding Concourse E - F
Adding a new domestic concourse near the air traffic control tower
Constructing a regional concourse on the site of the current C- D Concourse.
The first phase of Concourse E is under construction and is scheduled for substantial completion in September 2026. The full program is expected to add or renovate more than 5 million square feet, according to the July modernization announcement.
Additional landside projects, which may use separate funding methods, are not included in the board-approved package and will be addressed separately. Project costs and schedules will be refined after contractors are selected to design and build the facilities.
Landside refers to airport areas accessible before passenger security screening and the ground-transportation infrastructure serving them. This typically includes roadways, curbs, parking, garages, rental-car facilities, transit connections, and public terminal areas.
MWAA did not identify the specific landside projects, only stating that they are outside the board-approved package and will be funded separately.
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