Inbound international passengers at Washington Dulles International (IAD) will find an enhanced International Arrivals Building waiting for them when they get off the plane.
The total floor space of the terminal has been doubled to nearly 400,000 sq. ft. through additions and renovations. Passenger flow from the IAB arrivals hall to the passenger greeting area has been streamlined, and public art has been added to enhance the travel experience. In addition, six new baggage carousels were added in 2011, and the number of Customs inspection positions was increased to 50 in 2009.
The new facility is designed to serve up to 2,400 passengers and their luggage each hour – a substantial increase over the IAB’s original 1991 design capacity of 1,400 passengers per hour.
International traffic at IAD has risen every year since 2003. Studies show that in 2011, it served a record 6.5 million international passengers, more than one quarter of the airport’s total annual passenger traffic and an increase of 1.6% over 2010.
