AIRPORT REVIEW Denver International Airport
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
It may be hard to believe , but it has been 28 years since Denver International Airport ( DEN ) replaced Stapleton International . The airport ’ s tented roofs have become an architectural staple and stand unchanged . However , over those past 28 years , the travel industry has rapidly evolved and so has the number of passengers handled by the airport every year . To cope with those changes and prepare for future growth , the airport is making major upgrades to its Jeppesen Terminal and the concourses .
These multi-phase programs , dubbed the Great Hall Project and the Gate Expansion Project , are part of Vision 100 , a plan aimed at enabling the airport , which handled 69 million passengers in
2022 , to serve 100 million . Airport officials expect this milestone to be reached between 2030 and 2035 . The airport was originally built in 1995 to accommodate up to 50 million passengers , and the new improvements are to set it up for the next 20 to 30 years . The plan involves four pillars : expanding the infrastructure , maintaining the existing facilities , empowering people , and widening global connections .
A SPRAWLING PLACE
Denver International is the largest airport in the United States by total area and the second largest in the world , behind Saudi Arabia ’ s King Fahd International Airport ( DMM ). DEN spans 53 square miles ( 137km 2 ), double the size of Manhattan .
1 The airport has a main Jeppesen Terminal and three midfield concourse facilities serving passengers since February 1995 .
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