Dulles Master Plan Update Sets Framework for Decades of Airport Development
A significant update to Dulles International Airport’s (IAD) Master Plan, which provides a long-term framework for the airport’s development, was approved Wednesday by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority board of directors. The document provides a comprehensive vision for development opportunities spanning the next several decades that will keep Dulles in a strong position to accommodate the National Capital Region’s growing transportation needs.
Many concepts in the previous plan document, adopted in 1985, have already been realized. The newer revision considers the accelerating growth of passengers using Dulles in recent years fueled by Silver Line Metrorail service, as well as more airlines with increasing nonstop service to destinations around the world. The airport’s annual passenger activity is expected to grow more than 30 percent by 2030, when compared with 2024 figures.
The updated plan envisions development priorities and facility upgrades to optimize the airport’s potential for efficiency, flexibility, resiliency and sustainability, while creating opportunities to increase revenue from non-aeronautical sources. Its time horizon extends beyond the term of the current airline use and premises lease agreement, which governs airlines’ business relationships with the airport through 2039. The plan provides a comprehensive vision for future airport facilities, including:
- New concourses organized in existing and additional “tiers”
- Main Terminal expansion and connector to Concourses A and B (Tier 1)
- New parking garages convenient to the Main Terminal
- Consolidated rental car facility within a new garage structure
- Expanded aircraft aprons and taxiways
- A fifth runway
- Fuel farm expansion
- Land for non-aeronautical development adjacent to Autopilot Drive
The process of updating the Master Plan, which is required for major U.S. airports by the Federal Aviation Administration, began in 2020 and included extensive studies of existing facilities and operations, along with future airline activity forecasts. Planners presented a range of alternative development scenarios to internal and external stakeholders, including the public, at several workshops and advisory committee meetings through the plan drafting process.
The board-approved plan will be sent to the FAA for concurrence. Once this is achieved, the Master Plan will become the official FAA-compliant document guiding future development options for Dulles International Airport.