US President Donald Trump unveiled a US$22 billion plan on Wednesday to rebuild Washington Dulles airport by replacing concourses and adding a large parking garage while preserving the landmark main terminal.
The announcement is the latest in a series of major projects he has announced in and around the US capital.
“It’s considered one of the worst airports anywhere in the world, we’re going to make it maybe the best with some hard work,” Trump said, arguing it was time “for a major and long overdue renovation and reconstruction of Washington’s really horribly-thought-of Dulles”.
Trump, who was joined by United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at the White House, has been pushing for an overhaul of the airport that is the main international gateway for the national capital region.
The plan includes 5 million square feet of new or renovated airport space. Duffy in May confirmed the federal government planned a US$22 billion overhaul of Dulles.
The plan, one of the largest US airport overhauls ever proposed, will be funded through municipal bonds but raises questions about what it will mean for the cost of flights. The airport authority had already approved a separate US$7 billion capital plan for Dulles.