The Dulles Airport Master Plan has received approval from the
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA)
, setting the stage for significant upgrades, including the phasing out of the mobile lounge “people movers” and the addition of a fifth runway. However, the 20-year master plan requires final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before implementation can commence.
On Tuesday night,
the Chris Colgan Team
, a real estate group with a notable online presence, shared on social media: “
According to the new 2025 Dulles Master Plan, the airport is phasing out those iconic mobile lounges we’ve all ridden in. The future? AeroTrain expansions, direct concourse connectors, and full terminal overhauls.
”
Dulles Airport has significantly expanded its AeroTrain system, yet until now, the iconic “people movers” have remained in use, with 49 of them having undergone or undergoing complete refurbishment. Currently, the AeroTrain connects the Main Terminal to Concourses A, B, and C but does not serve Concourse D. Passengers traveling to or from Concourse D still depend on the people movers.
The mobile lounge “people movers” remain crucial for disembarking international passengers from all arriving international flights directly to the customs facility, regardless of the concourse. Future concourse plans include a direct upper-level walkway for international arrivals to reach immigration, which will reduce the reliance on mobile lounges for these specific arrivals, although this has not yet been fully implemented across the entire airport.
According to
BizJournals
, the master plan outlines the addition of a fifth runway and 24 more gates. Per
MWAA
, he first three runways at Dulles date back to the airport’s opening in 1962. The current master plan includes provisions for a new north-south runway (opened in 2008) and a future east-west runway, which will be the fifth runway. Both runways received approval through an FAA Record of Decision in 2005. While construction of the fourth runway began in 2006, the timeline for the fifth runway’s construction has not yet been established as final approval for the master plan awaits.
