DIA is a fairly new airport, why is the airport completing a Master Plan Update?
The FAA recommends reexamination of the Master Plan every five to 10 years. Denver International Airport has deferred that reexamination in recent years due to the events of Sept. 11, the possibility of airline bankruptcy and other issues affecting the aviation industry as a whole. DIA’s original Master Plan, which was completed in the late 1980’s at the time when airport construction initially started, projected that the newly built facility could support approximately 50 million passengers per year. In 2007, the airport handled 49.9 million passengers, and in 2008, passenger traffic growth hit the 50-million mark . DIA has consistently experienced strong growth in recent years, even as many U.S. airports saw a leveling or in some cases a reduction in activity. Additionally, DIA was originally designed to handle a significantly higher number / proportion of connecting passengers than it currently / actually handles.. The proportional increase in originating and terminating passengers
