Dulles Airport plans to give its people mover a makeover
Dulles Airport giving the people mover a makeover
The design of Dulles Airport is unique. What's also unique is its people movers—those mobile lounges that are still used to ferry passengers to and from some parts of the airport. FOX 5’s David Kaplan is learning more about a plan to replace that fleet.
DULLES, Va. - It’s a staple of Dulles International Airport and it’s getting a facelift.
The so-called people movers that were a key feature when the airport opened 60 years ago will get a slow and steady upgrade … maybe.
The Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority voted to give a Pennsylvania-based company that specializes in refurbishments three years and $16.4 million to fix two of the 49 people movers in the fleet.
Since the people movers aren’t necessarily manufactured anymore, there may be specialized fabrication required, according to a report presented to MWAA.
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Depending on the success of the first two people movers being fixed, the board will then decide whether to spend up to $143 million additional dollars to upgrade all or part of the remainder of the fleet.
According to the airport authority, these people movers were responsible for about 240,000 trips in 2022, or roughly 650 per day.
While a potential $160 million may sound like a lot of money, airport officials told FOX 5 that the architecture and construction of Dulles included infrastructure for these people movers, and upgrading the fleet would likely be less expensive than the construction costs of an alternative to move people around.