President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a major renovation and reconstruction of Washington Dulles International Airport, announcing the project from the Oval Office alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Trump described the airport as long considered one of the worst in the world and said the goal was to turn it into one of the best.
Under the plan, the airport's C and D concourses would be replaced, while the iconic original terminal, designed decades ago, would be preserved. Trump called the terminal an architectural landmark and said it would be restored and used again as the primary entrance, keeping its rounded glass and distinctive design.
A central feature of the project is a large parking garage with about 32,000 parking spaces, which officials described as the largest garage in the world. Built mostly above ground on a site directly across the street from the terminal, it would connect to the airport through a series of glass bridges and tunnels.
The redesign also aims to replace the airport's existing people-mover elevated buses, which Duffy compared to something out of Star Wars and said travelers find slow and frustrating. In their place, the plan calls for a horseshoe train system and a central walkway running down the spine of the airport for faster access to the gates.
Officials said the overhaul would add modern check-in areas, more efficient security screening, hotels and new restaurants and shops, including plans for one of the largest United Polaris lounges anywhere in the world. Trump framed it as part of a broader effort to make Washington's infrastructure more modern and efficient.
According to those involved, the project would be funded by airport-generated dollars and airline contributions rather than federal money. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Jack Potter, chief executive of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, both took part in the announcement and backed the plan.
Officials said the work, which they described as bipartisan, would still need some approvals from Congress but could begin fairly quickly because it is largely financed. Rather than building it in sections over decades, as earlier proposals had envisioned, they said the airport would be reconstructed all at once.