Trump Unveils Plans for Dulles Airport Renovation

President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled plans for a renovation of Dulles International Airport in the Oval Office. Trump detailed the plans alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s President and CEO Jack Potter, and board member Trent Morris. Trump called the project “very exciting to me as a builder, somebody that builds lots of big, nice projects before I got here.” He called Dulles “one of the worst airports anywhere in the world,” and said his aim is to make it among the best. The plans include five million square feet of new or renovated space at the airport and replacing the C and D concourses, while preserving the original terminal. “That is one of the great architects of the world—the original terminal, and it was very, very important that it be left,” Trump said. “That’s one of the reasons it was both an asset and a liability. The liability is that nobody wanted to build anything near it, and people had to walk crazy distances, and it’s no good, not acceptable,” he added. “So we’ve addressed it all, and we have a plan that’s going to be phenomenal.” In addition, a “massive” parking garage will be added across the street from the terminal, which will run eight to ten stories and fit 32,000 vehicles. “You’ll walk right across the street, and you’ll have a glass bridge, a number of glass bridges that will go right into the terminal,” Trump said, adding that an Airtrain will be added as well. It will also feature a large United Polaris lounge. “It’ll be a beautiful level of luxury,” he said. “This transformation is another step in our ongoing efforts to make Washington D.C. safe and beautiful again. The safety aspects, both in terms of the airlines and in terms of crime, are unparalleled for what we’re doing.” Potter noted that the funding for renovation will be supplied by United Airlines, other airlines and the Airports Authority, so it will not require federal money. “This is going to be airport-generated dollars, airline contribution, which is phenomenal. It means that we’re off to a fast start here,” Potter said. When asked if the project would take two years, the president said, “We think we can get it started fairly quickly. It’s largely financed, and yeah, we need some approvals from Congress, probably, but generally speaking, it’s been very bipartisan.” Trump said the renovation is expected to cause “very little” disruption to flights.