Ribbon cutting officially marks opening of Denver’s Concourse A-West

Denver Mayor, Michael Hancock, was the guest of honour at Denver International Airport (DEN) as the US gateway and United Airlines staged a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Gate Expansion Program with the opening of new gates on Concourses A and B.

The 12 new gates on A-West and 10 new gates on B-East are being leased by United Airlines, bringing the airline up to a total of 90 gates at DEN, their largest hub.

HNTB served as lead designer, architect and engineer for the A-West expansion project, which A-West supports DEN’s Vision 100 strategic plan to serve 100 million annual passengers within the next 10 years by increasing the airport’s overall gate capacity by 30%.

In total, DEN is building 39 new concourse gates, which will be added on all three concourses to allow DEN’s airlines an opportunity to grow and for DEN to accommodate new airlines, including international carriers.

In May of 2018, DEN broke ground on the Gate Expansion Program, opened the first completed area, B-West in November 2020, then C-East in May 2022 and B-East in October 2022.

The new A-West Concourse includes 12 gates, 16 hold-rooms and additional support space totalling 530,000 square feet of new space.

There are 10,000 square feet of new concessions space, a new outdoor deck with views of the mountains, outdoor seating and fire-pits for ambiance, plus a pet relief area and nursing room for traveler convenience. A-West opened to flights and passengers on November 5.

The HNTB design and construction administration teams include more than 19 sub-consultants and was comprised of a diverse group of businesses that reflected the local community.

“I’m proud to have been involved with this project from the beginning,” said Tim Cahill, HNTB principal designer. “HNTB’s design — including natural light, improved acoustics, modern restrooms and a variety of seating options —will result in a pleasant passenger experience.”

Currently, DEN is ranked the third-busiest airport in the world. When the expansion program is completed, all three of the airport’s concourses will have been expanded with 39 new gates.