WASHINGTON DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attended the announcement with President Trump. The renovation project is estimated to cost $22.5 billion. The renovation plan will eliminate the use of mobile lounges, also known as “people movers.” The plan includes the construction of a new underground U-shaped aerotrain to transport travelers to terminals. The plan includes the construction of four new linear concourses to replace the current A, B, C, and D gates.

The plan includes the addition of moving sidewalks. The plan moves the parking lot closer to the main terminal. The design preserves the exterior of the iconic sloped-roof main terminal designed by Eero Saarinen.

The interior of the main terminal will be refurbished with an open foyer and new ticket kiosks. The approved design features glass and gold, including gold-mirrored ceilings throughout the terminals. The existing runways will not be changed under the approved plan. There will be separate requests for proposals for public-private partnerships to develop landside renovations, including a convention center and new parking lots.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) will finance the project through the issuance of tax-free bonds. United Airlines will contract for the new build and repay the financing through airport operations. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby met with President Trump regarding the project. United Airlines carries roughly two-thirds of daily passengers at Dulles.

President Trump reviewed more than 30 proposals for the renovation. Firms that submitted proposals included HNTB, STV Group, Jacobs, Ferrovial, AECOM, and BlackRock. President Trump rejected Ferrovial's proposal, which featured a wavy roof design for the main terminal. President Trump rejected Jacobs' proposal, which included a high bridge for passengers to cross between terminals.

President Trump rejected HNTB's proposal to build a new airport from scratch with an additional main terminal. United Airlines opposed BlackRock's proposal to operate the airport and take its revenues. President Trump requested design and engineering firms to create three-dimensional models of their proposals. The tabletop models were taken to the White House for the president's review and edits.

President Trump hosted charrettes with executives from development and finance companies in the Oval Office. President Trump called Dulles a “terrible airport” that “was incorrectly designed.” President Trump privately criticized the parking as being “two miles away” and called the mobile lounge system “crazy.” “We’re also going to rebuild Dulles Airport because it’s not a good airport. It should be a great airport. It’s not a good airport at all. It’s a terrible airport,” President Trump said.

“We’re gonna make that into something really spectacular. We have an amazing plan for it,” he added.

Mobile lounges have been in use at Dulles since 1962. The C and D gates were constructed in 1985 as temporary terminals for United Airlines. The existing aerotrain only serves the A, B, and C concourses.

Washington Dulles International Airport was formally dedicated by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The airport is named after former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Dulles is located in northern Virginia, approximately 25 miles from downtown Washington. The airport operates a fleet of 19 mobile lounges, each capable of carrying up to 102 passengers. The mobile lounges were designed by Chrysler Corp.

A frequent flyer referred to the mobile lounges as a “mobile torture chamber.” President Trump's motorcade visited Dulles Airport in October to assess potential future projects. The Transportation Department issued a news release in December stating Dulles has dated facilities and an inefficient people mover system. The Department of Transportation submitted a request for information in December asking for proposals to revitalize Dulles.

Dulles handled a record 29 million passengers in 2025, a 6.4% increase from the previous year. A mobile lounge collided with a concourse dock in November, injuring at least 18 people. A Trump-appointed MWAA board member cited the November crash as a reason to retire the mobile lounges. MWAA approved a separate $7 billion capital plan for the airport in 2025. Dulles is set to open a new 14-gate concourse for United Airlines in the autumn.

Washington Dulles International Airport is an airport in Dulles, Virginia serving the Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. President Trump is an American businessman and politician (born 1946), President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025). The Oval Office is the office of the President of the United States in the White House.