President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration plans to undertake a reconstruction of Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said, “We’re also going to rebuild Dulles airport because it’s not a good airport. It should be a great airport, and it’s not a good airport at all. It’s a terrible airport.”
Dulles, one of the three airports serving the Washington area, is frequently the subject of debate among locals regarding its quality and utility.
Trump, a former real estate mogul, acknowledged the building itself was good but asserted it was “incorrectly designed,” despite praising Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, who conceived the main terminal.
“We’re going to turn that around and we’re going to make Dulles airport -- serving Washington and Virginia, Maryland, etc. -- we’re gonna make that into something really spectacular. We have an amazing plan for it.”
His motorcade took an unannounced drive through the terminal at Dulles in early November. At the time, the White House said Trump wanted to take the detour to the airport to assess potential future projects.
Sean Duffy, the Transportation secretary, added that the administration is continuing its efforts to repair the so-called “people movers” at Dulles that ferry travelers between concourses. One crashed in November.
Duffy said his agency will announce later Tuesday that they are requesting bids to repair the people movers, which are also called “mobile lounges.”
