Trump announces two-year, $22 billion Dulles airport renovation

President Donald Trump announced a massive two-year, $22 billion plan to renovate Washington Dulles International Airport, including nixing its “people mover” mobile lounges, on Wednesday. “It’s considered one of the worst airports anywhere in the world,” Trump said in the Oval Office, where United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and ​Transportation Secretary ​Sean Duffy joined him. […]

President Donald Trump announced a massive two-year, $22 billion plan to renovate Washington Dulles International Airport, including nixing its “people mover” mobile lounges, on Wednesday.

“It’s considered one of the worst airports anywhere in the world,” Trump said in the Oval Office, where United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and ​Transportation Secretary ​Sean Duffy joined him. “We’re going to make it maybe the best with some hard work and some good thought process.”

The renovation at the airport, which serves as the international gateway for Washington-area travelers, will include four new concourses, an underground aerotrain, and moving sidewalks.

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Another step toward making D.C. beautiful again and ensuring America has the best airports in the world.

A HISTORIC investment in America’s infrastructure: Renderings of the improved Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). pic.twitter.com/9Y6XFKvkT7

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 29, 2026

“We are announcing plans to add more than 5 million square feet of new or renovated space,” Trump said. “We’ll replace the current C and D concourses, which are basic disasters, all the while preserving the iconic original terminal.”

The president repeatedly criticized Dulles as “not a good airport” and “incorrectly designed” last year when he teased plans to rebuild the airport.

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According to Duffy, the renovation will also include a new parking garage with 32,000 parking spaces near the terminal.

“It’ll be actually the largest garage in the world,” Trump said.

Duffy also claimed that the renovations are “the cherry on the top” to Trump’s efforts to beautify Washington and make it safer for residents. Notably, the people mover lounges, which Duffy claimed “are like elevated buses,” will get removed from Dulles.

U.S. Secret Service agents keep watch before Vice President JD Vance boards Air Force Two at Dulles International Airport, Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Dulles, Va., en route to Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

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“They’re slow, and people are angry about them,” Duffy added. “We are going to get rid of those. We are going to have a horseshoe train system throughout the airport.”

Trump teased that 30 architects have been considered to help design the renovation, while the CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Jack Potter, who operates the airport, claimed that federal funds are not on the hook for the modernization.

“We’re very happy that United Airlines, the Air Force authority, and the other airlines have agreed to step up and fund this thing,” Potter said. “So this is not requiring federal dollars. This is going to be airport-generated dollars, airline contributions, which is phenomenal.”

Trump did concede that “we need some approvals from Congress, probably. But generally speaking, it’s been very bipartisan.”

Dulles International Airport is seen on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Dulles, Va. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

SEAN DUFFY CELEBRATES AMERICA 250, GRANTS MILLIONS IN FUNDING TO BWI AIRPORT AND OTHERS

Since returning to the White House, Trump, a former real estate mogul, has renovated the Oval Office with gold decorations, pushed through a plan for a new East Wing ballroom, and proposed a complete rebuilding of the Kennedy Center, although they have faced legal challenges. But that has not deterred Trump.

“It’s time to ensure that the United States has the greatest airports anywhere in the world. And we’re starting right here with the capital city,” Trump said.

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