Dulles International and Reagan National airports together served a record 54 million passengers in 2025, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) said. That increase was driven by significant passenger growth at Dulles, while Reagan saw a slight decline.
In 2025, Reagan had 24.89 million passengers, down 5.4% from the previous year. The airport had seen record-high numbers in 2024, at 26.29 million passengers.
MWAA attributed the decline to the after-effects of the January 2025 plane crash, as well as “softening demand for government-related travel,” and the 43-day federal shutdown. It also noted that airport operations are governed by federal limits on numbers of takeoffs and landings to control congestion.
Dulles made up for Reagan’s decline by serving a record 29.01 million passengers, up 6.4% from 27.26 million in 2024. That includes 10.53 million international passengers, another record for the Chantilly airport.
MWAA attributes Dulles’ rising ridership to “a significant climb in domestic passengers arriving in Washington or connecting to other destinations.”
To accommodate Dulles’ passenger growth, construction is underway on a new 14-gate concourse. Concourse E, projected to be complete in 2026, features airport train station access and more than 15 new shopping and dining locations.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
