The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) this week proposed a new 14-gate concourse at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to replace outdoor boarding areas currently used by regional flights.
The proposed “Tier-2 Concourse (East)” would also include upgraded aircraft service facilities, would provide convenient access to the airport’s underground Aerotrain system and would include new shops, restaurants and other customer services as well as the latest aircraft-servicing technologies to accommodate future needs.
The new 400,000-square-foot facility would replace gates built in the 1990s at the eastern end of Concourse A, where many regional-flight passengers currently go outdoors to access their planes via covered walkways.
“This new concourse would represent a major improvement in the passenger experience at the regional gates,” said Jack Potter, MWAA president and CEO, who termed the project “the first step in a long-term strategy to expand and enhance the facilities and services at Dulles International Airport as we look toward the future.”
To attain partial funding for the project, the MWAA said it has applied for an initial $230 million Federal Aviation Administration grant under the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, adding the final project cost would be between $500 million and $800 million.
The MWAA is working with United Airlines, the largest carrier serving Dulles, and other airlines in planning the design, funding and construction of the new concourse.
In 2021, MWAA opened a new 14-gate concourse for regional flights at Reagan National Airport (DCA), which replaced outdoor boarding areas with spacious new seating areas, concessions and other amenities.
