What A $15.5B Budget Amendment Could Change At Dulles Airport

DULLES, VA — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will consider adding $15.5 billion to its capital construction budget for a multiyear overhaul of Washington Dulles International Airport during virtual committee and board meetings Wednesday.

The proposed amendment would increase the total authorized budget for five construction packages to about $19.9 billion. The authority’s board previously authorized approximately $4.4 billion for work included in the program, according to meeting materials.

Committee meetings are scheduled to begin at approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. The full board meeting is expected to begin at approximately 10:30 a.m., although MWAA said board meetings can begin within 30 minutes of the advertised time. The public may watch the meetings virtually.

What The Budget Amendment Would Fund

The largest construction package, estimated at $6.2 billion, would renovate and expand Dulles’ main terminal and Concourse A/B. Plans include extending the main terminal 300 feet to the east and west, renovating ticket counters, building baggage connections and adding a connector between the terminal and Concourse A/B.

That package would also relocate maintenance shops, a warehouse, a flight kitchen and the airport’s central utility plant. Some elements, including the terminal expansion and proposed terminal gates, would require additional environmental approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before construction could begin.

MWAA expects to award the contract for that package in the fourth quarter of 2026, with construction beginning in the fourth quarter of 2027. The schedule remains preliminary and subject to change.

A second package, estimated at $3.75 billion, would extend the airport’s automated people mover system west from Concourse A/B to planned Concourses G/H. It would also construct a central tunnel system for passengers and baggage. A contract award is tentatively scheduled for late 2027, followed by construction in early 2029.

The program also includes $4 billion for the full buildout of Concourses E/F and a south central utility plant. The first phase of Concourse E is already under construction and is scheduled for substantial completion in September.

Another $3.7 billion would fund the phased construction of Concourses G/H. Work on the first two phases is scheduled to begin in 2028, while construction of the final phases is not expected to begin until 2039.

A fifth package, estimated at $2.26 billion, would demolish Concourse C/D in phases and eventually construct a new regional concourse with 33 gates capable of serving Group III aircraft. Demolition is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2031, with construction of the replacement concourse beginning in 2039.

Most New Funding Would Come From Bonds

MWAA estimates that the requested $15.5 billion in additional budget authority would include about $14.2 billion in new bond issuance, $150 million in grants and approximately $1.1 billion in passenger facility charges. The passenger charges would fund debt service on an estimated $1.1 billion in bonds.

The amendment would authorize $48 million in project expenditures during 2026. That includes $8 million for the automated people mover and tunnel package, $16 million for the Concourse E/F package and $24 million for the first phases of Concourses G/H.

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The project required approval from a majority of Dulles’ long-term signatory airlines under the airport’s use agreement. MWAA said that approval took effect July 2.

Airport authority staff are asking the Finance Committee to approve the amendment and recommend approval by the full board. Because the meeting has not yet occurred, no mover, seconder, individual votes or final parliamentary action are available.

The proposal provides additional details about a larger Dulles redevelopment plan described in previous Patch coverage. That coverage cited a $22.5 billion overhaul that also included a hotel, parking, restaurants and shops. Wednesday’s $19.9 billion capital-budget proposal covers five airport construction packages and should not be treated as the total cost of every element previously discussed.