When Washington Dulles International Airport opened in l962, it was the first U.S. airport built for commercial jet aircraft. Airline travelers were in a distinct minority, and those flying machines at the airport were seen as an exotic form of transportation to far away places.
Today, aviation has become a form of mass transit. In 1999, over 664 million people flew on airplanes within the United States. This number is projected to exceed one billion people within the next ten years.
This ability to move millions of people comes with challenges – on the ground and in the air. Airports have an important role to play in meeting these challenges since airlines can only add new service if there are airport facilities available to handle the increased operations and to provide passenger amenities.
In the late 1980's, Dulles International was moving into its prominent aviation role in the region. The trajectory of growth at Dulles over recent years has greatly surpassed the national average. From 1995 to 1998, passengers using the airport increased by 28 percent, from 12.5 to nearly 16 million. In 1999, Dulles was the fastest growing airport in the country with an annual growth rate of 25.7 % compared to the industry average growth rate of 2.9%.
Along with passenger growth came a significant increase in the number of airlines wishing to do business at Dulles and a resulting increase in the destinations they serve. Today’s area traveler can easily reach thirty-two different foreign destinations and 75 U.S. cities from Dulles. The airport has made its presence felt in Northern Virginia in addition to the economic and tourism impacts that air service brings. Over 15,000 people are employed at the airport and thousands more have jobs closely associated with airport activities. In 1998, Dulles Airport generated over $4 billion dollars in business revenue and contributed $136 million in state and local taxes.
In recent years, much progress has been made in the expansion program at Dulles. In 1996, a second Customs and Immigration facility was opened by United Airlines in Concourse C, further streamlining service for international travelers making domestic connections in the U.S.
Also in 1996, work was completed in probably the most ambitious and challenging construction project at Dulles -- the expansion of the Saarinen terminal to complete the architect’s original design. With careful attention to the original architectural and engineering documents and building materials, the project succeeded in completing a 34-year-old building in a seamless manner that retained its beauty and functionality.
The expansion not only added much-needed ticket counter and baggage claim space, it also added a third level, underground, to provide the airlines with more baggage make- up
and sorting areas.
The project also added lanes to the roadways in front of the terminal to help reduce traffic congestion at the curbside and created a separate roadway system at the ground level for commercial and valet traffic circulation.
Dulles expansion continued when Concourse B opened on February 1, 1998. This is the first of
additional midfield concourses that will eventually replace the “temporary” Concourses C and D and which will be connected to the terminal building by an underground airport automated train system.
In 1999, a new regional concourse, Concourse A, opened to replace the temporary gates on the lower level of the Terminal. The 70,000 square foot building can accommodate 36 aircraft-- including regional jets. The Concourse houses Atlantic Coast Airlines, also operating as United Express, a local business based at Dulles. Concourse A is attached to Concourse B by an enclosed pedestrian bridge with moving sidewalks. These Concourse offer a variety of shops and eateries and customer amenities that travelers seek.
Today, Dulles serves 20 million passengers. In the future, the Airports Authority has the land capacity to handle up to 55 million passengers when all planned facilities are built. There is no specific timetable for that ultimate build out, but it would involve building additional midfield concourses, additional runways and the airport automated train system to connect travelers to the expanded facilities. The airport train system will replace the Mobile Lounges as the primary people mover system at Dulles. The lounges will continue to be used to serve aircraft that do not have access to gates and for unscheduled or emergency situations.
Current projects at Dulles include the continued renovation of the original portion of the Terminal ticket counters, baggage claim facilities and the construction of a new basement level for baggage handling. This work will not only bring the 1962 building up to the standards of the 1996 addition, it also is preparatory to construction of the train station and security screening mezzanine which will be built to accommodate the new airport automated train system.
This year, some of the Mobile Lounge docks in the Terminal were relocated to a location beneath the air traffic control tower in order to clear the way for construction of an underground passenger walkway which will enable passengers to have an alternative to taking the Mobile Lounges to Concourses A and B.
In August, 2000, a contract was awarded for the construction of two parking garages – the first for Dulles – which will be built north and west of the terminal building and which will accommodate approximately 8,500 vehicles.
The Airports Authority also has leased land to the Smithsonian Institution for a new National Air and Space Museum Center that is scheduled to open in 2003.
Dulles is in a constant state of evolution and improvement. The challenge for the Airports Authority will be to continue to be able to keep pace with growth in air service and remain flexible in the design of future facilities to enable the Washington region to adjust to changes in the aviation industry while serving the travel needs of the area.
