Washington National Airport delivers new $400m concourse early due to pandemic lull

Workers are putting the finishing touches on a new concourse at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, one of the few major airport projects that was able to use the coronavirus pandemic to open its doors early. The 14-gate facility will begin handling flights for American Airlines on April 20, in what operator the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) calls a “soft opening.” In the works for the better part of a decade, the concourse will open roughly three-months early thanks to the drop in passengers — and flight levels — during the pandemic. “What a great time to accelerate a new facility — [we can] work out all the kinks on an easier schedule,” said American Vice President of Network Planning Brian Znotins referring to opening when flight numbers remain depressed. But that time savings — and the opening itself — is the outlier, rather than the norm, in the crisis. Most airports have been forced to delay or indefinitely postpone major capital projects amid the drop in revenues that comes from fewer travelers, said Airports Council International-North America CEO Kevin Burke. <br/>