The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), United Airlines, and the US Department of Transportation announced a capital investment program of more than $20 billion for Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on July 29, 2026. The program covers more than 5 million square feet (464,515 square meters) of new or renovated space across the next decade, roughly tripling the $7 billion modernization outlined in MWAA’s master plan of May 2025. Eero Saarinen’s Main Terminal stays, while Concourse C and D, which house the core of United’s hub, are slated for replacement.
The first piece arrives within months: Concourse E opens later in 2026 with 14 new United gates, direct AeroTrain access, and new lounges including an expanded United Club and a United Polaris Lounge. Behind it sits an active design-build procurement worth $4.5 billion to $5 billion, known as Package A, covering expansion of the Saarinen terminal, a post-security connector to Concourse A, and redevelopment of the A-B concourse. MWAA CEO Jack Potter said Dulles was the fastest-growing large airport in the country across 2024 and 2025, and that the airport’s aging facilities have been limiting how efficiently United can expand there.
United CEO Scott Kirby said: “Washington Dulles is the gateway that connects the nation’s capital to the world, and this transformation builds on United’s long-term investment in our hub to deliver the world-class airport experience our employees, customers and millions of travelers deserve.” United operates its largest hub in the Washington region at Dulles, and the airline has said the new gates will help it expand its international network. Under a new agreement with MWAA, United and its Dulles competitors have committed billions of dollars of investment at the airport over the coming years, indicating that the carriers operating at Dulles are contributing alongside the airport authority and the federal government.