Denver apparently wants to become the new Gateway to the West.
The critically acclaimed Denver International Airport (DIA) is looking to expand. DIA, already, the nation’s third busiest airport, is looking to expand by 100 more gates by 2045. The plan is to build four more concourses and double the amount of passengers it currently serves.
Denver is already home base for Frontier Airlines and a hub for several major airlines, including United. There have even been rumors that United would move its headquarters from Chicago to Denver, but that’s another story.
“I think it has surprised the entire country,” airport CEO Phil Washington said. “People have made a decision to travel, even though there may be a slight downturn in the economy.”
DIA expects to process 78 million passengers this year at an airport built to handle 50 million people. An expansion would mean serving about 120 million people. The four new concourses would equally have 25 gates each.
More ticket lines and security checkpoints will be added.
Washington did not disclose a timeline for the expansion, nor did he discuss a budget for the project. A recent expansion, which concluded in November of 2022, ran nearly $800 million over budget. Most of that, airport officials said, was used to relocate airlines from gate to gate.
“It is our responsibility as infrastructure professionals to prepare for the next generation of passengers that come through here,” Washington said.
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