Dulles Airport | FFXnow

Terminal redesigns, people mover alternatives and more proposed for Dulles Airport

Published January 22, 2026 at 10:00AM | Updated January 22, 2026 at 10:38AM

New terminal for Dulles Airport proposed by Bermello Ajamil and Partners (via Zaha Hadid Architects)

A building exclusively for diplomatic visits, an autonomous shuttle system and a conversion of its distinctive main terminal into a museum are just some of the changes that could be in store for Dulles International Airport.

The U.S. Department of Transportation requested proposals in early December for ways to “revitalize” the airport on the Fairfax/Loudoun county border, claiming that it’s in “a state of disrepair” and already-planned renovations are “insufficient” for a global gateway to the nation’s capital.

News

Northern Va. leaders push back on Trump’s criticism of Dulles Airport

By Scott McCaffrey

Published December 8, 2025 at 8:30AM

Dulles International Airport departure level and parking lot (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Northern Virginia political leaders have reacted coolly to President Donald Trump’s criticisms of Dulles International Airport and his calls for a major rebuilding project there.

Trump called the airport “terrible” and suggested it was “incorrectly designed” during a Dec. 2 Cabinet meeting. Hours later, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would seek proposals for new terminals and concourses to replace or enhance the facility, which straddles the Fairfax and Loudoun line.

News

Trump admin wants to rebuild ‘inefficient’ Dulles Airport despite ongoing renovations

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published December 3, 2025 at 8:30AM

FILE - A sign of Washington Dulles International Airport station is seen during the opening of new Silver Line Extension at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., Nov. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Dulles International Airport has emerged as the latest target of President Donald Trump’s bid to remake the architecture of the nation’s capital.

Even as the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) pursues billions of dollars in capital projects, including a new concourse slated to open next fall, the U.S. Department of Transportation began soliciting proposals yesterday (Tuesday) from developers, architects and engineers to redesign airport just outside Fairfax County.

News

Despite recent crashes, people movers still integral to Dulles Airport, MWAA head says

By Scott McCaffrey

Published November 25, 2025 at 11:45AM | Updated November 25, 2025 at 1:59PM

Dulles Airport mobile lounges (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

People movers will continue darting across Dulles International Airport for years to come, despite recent incidents that have revived safety questions for passengers who use them.

At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors, MWAA President and CEO Jack Potter acknowledged the “long-term limitations of relying on mobile lounges,” which are colloquially known as people movers.

News

Dulles Airport anticipates growth spurt, new concourse in 2026

By Scott McCaffrey

Published November 21, 2025 at 10:00AM

Dulles International Airport's new Concourse E is on track to open in 2026 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Airlines at a growing Dulles International Airport will see higher operating costs in 2026 under a new budget adopted Nov. 19 by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).

The $889.5 million package, adopted unanimously by the authority’s board of directors, estimates that the “cost per enplanement” at Dulles will rise from the $11.17 budgeted in 2025 to $12.77 in 2026 — an increase of about 14%.

News

More than a dozen injured in people mover crash at Dulles Airport

By Angela Woolsey

Published November 10, 2025 at 7:00PM

Dulles Airport mobile lounges (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

More than a dozen people have been taken to a hospital after a mobile lounge crashed while docking at Dulles International Airport.

The vehicle, also known as a people mover, was pulling into Concourse D around 4:30 p.m. today (Monday) when it “struck the dock at an angle,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) said.

Countywide

Dulles and Reagan National among airports to cut flights amid federal shutdown

By Angela Woolsey and Associated Press

Published November 6, 2025 at 1:30PM

Frontier and Southwest Airlines planes sit at gates at Dulles International Airport during sunrise (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Northern Virginia’s two major airports are among the 40 directed by the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce flights, starting tomorrow (Friday), in response to the ongoing federal government shutdown.

The FAA announced yesterday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown, which has now stretched on for a record 37 days.

News

Man who punched Dulles Airport gate agent sentenced to prison, fined

By Jared Serre

Published October 10, 2025 at 10:00AM | Updated October 10, 2025 at 11:49AM

A United Airlines Express airplane taxis at Dulles International Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

A 54-year-old man who admitted to punching a gate agent at Dulles Airport earlier this year will spend two months in federal prison.

Yesterday (Thursday), U.S. District Court Judge Michael Nachmanoff also ordered Christopher Stuart Crittenden to pay $15,000 in restitution and a $5,000 fine as part of his sentence.

News

Dulles mobile lounges could last another two decades, airport officials say

By Scott McCaffrey

Published September 22, 2025 at 11:45AM

Dulles International Airport still uses mobile lounges, or people movers, to transport passengers (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Some existing mobile lounges at Dulles International Airport have been operating since John F. Kennedy was president in the mid-20th century, and with proper care, airport officials hope to keep them in service until almost the middle of the 21st century.

The iconic transportation equipment is a critical part of airport operations and “will remain essential for the next 15 to 20 years,” Thomas Beatty, chief operations officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), told the agency’s board of directors last Wednesday (Sept. 17).

News

First restaurant, retail tenants announced for future Concourse E at Dulles

By Scott McCaffrey

Published September 19, 2025 at 1:45PM

Bonchon is among new restaurant offerings coming to Dulles Airport (via MWAA)

With its opening just a year away, the first concessionaires have been announced for Dulles International Airport’s Concourse E.

The new food, beverage and retail stores “focus on brands that represent the regional D.C. experience,” said officials with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).