American Airlines is the dominant carrier at my home airport of Miami International Airport (MIA), and arguably Miami is by far American’s strongest coastal hub. Well, the airline and the airport authority have just announced plans to invest $1.1 billion in the airport, including a significant expansion to the existing terminal space (this is part of the airport’s overall $12 billion modernization).
American plans Miami Airport Concourse D expansion
American Airlines and Miami-Dade County have just unveiled expansion plans for a reimagined Concourse D at the airport, in what’s being called the North Terminal West Extension. This project centers around gate D60, which is where a majority of American Eagle flights at the airport depart from.
If you’ve ever been to gate D60, you probably know what a mess it is. It’s at the very end of the concourse, and then there’s a tiny gate area, with well over a dozen individual boarding ramps you can walk up to via partially covered (but outdoor) walkways.
This project is supposed to break ground in the summer of 2027, and will be completed in the summer of 2030 (at least that’s the plan as of now). With this, we’ll see a proper new concourse expansion designed. The new three-level Concourse D extension will create 17 new aircraft gates to accommodate larger aircraft and eliminate outdoor boarding.
The project will expand a single shared boarding area to include adjoining boarding spaces for every gate, to improve flow and provide customers with more space and comfort. This project also offers future capabilities to accommodate international arrivals and direct third-floor access to the airport’s customs hall. The new concourse will feature bright, expansive spaces, with indoor palm trees, as well as new dining and shopping options.
However, the design hasn’t yet been finalized, so the official design is expected to be revealed this summer. The new terminal space will feature an additional 30,000 square feet of concessions, plus an additional 30,000 square feet of lounge space. However, below are the first renderings of what the new facility could look like.
American currently operates around 400 departures per day from Miami, and this summer, the airline will fly from the airport to 155 destinations across 45 countries. American accounts for more than 60% of traffic at the airport. American has announced other investments in the airport in recent times, including plans to open a new Flagship Lounge (though details remain limited).
Here’s how American CEO Robert Isom describes this:
“Miami is an important hub and gateway for American, and it’s an essential part of our history and our future. The brand new, re imagined D60 is a transformational project that will provide a much-improved experience for our customers and our team. This investment — alongside new premium lounges and new routes — reflects our shared commitment with Miami-Dade County and the airport to deliver a consistent, elevated customer experience.”
This is great news for Miami flyers… eventually!
The current gate D60 setup at Miami Airport leaves a lot to be desired, so I’m very happy to see that there are plans to invest in this portion of the terminal. While the total number of gates will remain roughly the same, the idea is that they’ll go from one shared gate area with a huge number of ramps, to 17 individual gates with jet bridges.
Of course the challenge is that any long term gain comes with short term suffering. It remains to be seen what exactly Miami Airport’s plan is while work is performed to build the concourse, since presumably this will get in the way of standard operations at gate D60.
Miami Airport has been spending many billions of dollars modernizing, though unfortunately unlike at some other airports in the United States, this isn’t coming with a huge, splashy new terminal. Instead we’re seeing some updates to existing facilities (like broken escalators being fixed), plus slight extensions of existing concourses and terminals.
Bottom line
American Airlines and Miami-Dade County are investing in Concourse D at Miami International Airport, which will include the construction of a new 17-gate concourse expansion. Essentially the space currently taken up by gate D60 will instead be a full indoor concourse expansion, with proper new gates, rather than ramps.
This is a positive change that will be great in the long run, though expect for it to be a bit messy while this work takes place, through the summer of 2030 (at a minimum).
What do you make of Miami Airport’s Concourse D expansion?