Momberger
Washington Reagan National Airport has launched Project Journey, which will add a commuter concourse that will replace bus operations to exterior aircraft boarding areas. Reagan National Airport eyes the summer 2021 for opening of the new 21,367-square-meter (230,000- square-foot) 14-gate concourse. The USD 1-billion Project Journey is a rare bright spot for the airport in a year when the coronavirus pandemic has decimated the aviation industry. It consists of two parts: the new concourse and an expanded security screening area.
The first major upgrade at National in more than two decades will do away with the cumbersome boarding process at Gate 35X that required funnelling passengers into a ground-floor holding area and loading them onto shuttle buses that ferried them to their planes.
Efforts to build a new terminal to replace the 14 outdoor boarding areas languished on the drawing board for years before construction began in 2017. Its expected opening this year, however, will come at an unusual time for the aviation industry. When the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority broke ground, traffic was booming at National. An airport built to accommodate 15 million passengers was routinely drawing close to 23 million a year, forcing officials to find creative ways to make room for the crush of travellers.
In 2019, the airport saw more than 23.9 million passengers. In 2020, Reagan handled 7,58 million passengers, less than a third the previous year’s volume. Even so, officials said the passenger slowdown did have an upside: It enabled airport officials to accelerate aspects of the project. Work that typically would have to wait until the evening hours was done during the day. The interior of the new concourse at National (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority).
The nearly completed concourse will connect to Terminal C and have 14 gates, an American Airlines Admirals Club lounge and more than 14,000 square feet of retail and food offerings. Among the restaurants expected to occupy the new building: Elevation Burger, Mezeh Mediterranean Grill and Founding Farmers. The build-out of those areas is underway.
The concourse is slated to open in July, but plans are in the works to do a “soft opening” ahead of that date. An announcement is expected early this year. The project also includes new security checkpoints, which will be housed in a separate building that sits across from Terminals B and C. #1140.31
