DENVER — Denver International Airport has been under construction since 2018, and the airport just landed a massive budget to fund its Great Hall project for at least another six years.
Airport officials say the renovations are necessary to keep pace with the recent rapid expansion of passenger traffic that made it the third-busiest airport in the world for 2021, according to flight data platform Cirium.
Major airlines approve of ongoing construction plans, saying improvements will aid their own expansion efforts. And the City of Denver welcomes the increased capacity at the airport, which is the biggest economic engine in the state.
Even critics of the airport's drawn-out, and at times troubled, improvement plan say it needs to happen and are pushing for completion under the budget and timeline that Denver City Council approved Jan. 10.
Airport and airline leadership and outside experts all say that finishing the Great Hall project is essential to the airport’s future. But the road ahead will not be without new issues.
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