Dulles International Airport’s new Concourse E is taking shape. On Thursday, July 17, airport executives celebrated a construction milestone when the final steel beam was laid in place. Executives and workers got the chance to sign the beam, Loudoun Now reported.
The Concourse E project consists of the construction of a new, 14-gate facility with a direct link to the AeroTrain system. It will span 435,000 square feet and include 46,000 square feet of shopping and dining, plus restrooms and an airline club space.
This is part of the broader Dulles Next project, a plan that consists of $7 billion worth of airport infrastructure upgrades.
Construction on Concourse E kicked off in November 2023. The project is set to be complete by fall 2026.
New Dulles Master Plan
While the construction is underway at Concourse E, there are even more plans in the works for Dulles. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors approved its new master plan in a meeting on July 16.
This new plan provides “a long-term framework for the airport’s development,” MWAA said. All major airports must have a master plan, per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This one has been in the works since 2020 and will serve as an update to the previous plan from 1985.
The plan aims to improve customer service as the airport grows to accommodate more passengers. Dulles handled about 27 million passengers in 2024. It plans to serve 38 million by 2040, 45 million by 2045, and 90 million as a long-term goal.
Plan improvements include:
- New concourses organized in existing and additional “tiers”
- Main terminal expansion and connector to concourses A and B (Tier 1)
- New parking garages convenient to the main terminal
- Consolidated rental car facility within a new garage structure
- Expanded aircraft aprons and taxiways
- A fifth runway
- Fuel farm expansion
- Land for non-aeronautical development adjacent to Autopilot Drive
The plan is now pending final FAA approval.
Feature rendering of Concourse E courtesy Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
