DENVER — These days, Denver International Airport can feel more like a construction zone than an airport, CEO Phil Washington said.
DIA is in the process of retrofitting an airport designed for 50 million annual passengers to one that can handle the record-smashing 78 million it currently serves and the 120 million it expects to reach in the future. That includes the sweeping Great Hall project, a major priority for Washington.
But the work visible at DIA is not just about keeping up with growing passenger volume — it’s also about fixing old systems. Symptoms of DIA’s age have generated attention recently — from breakdowns in the baggage handling system and the trains to concourses or dated security checkpoints. Washington sat down with The Denver Business Journal to discuss work underway to upgrade and update those systems.
DIA knows that keeping an airport open during major infrastructure changes is an inconvenience to passengers, but he’s urging the public to keep their eye on the end game. That’s a more modern, efficient airport that lives up to its role in the national system, he said.
> The video above aired Feb. 15.
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