The Hawkeye State’s 1940s-era international airport is getting a terminal facelift thanks to a $445 million, multi-year expansion project. With two projects well underway, travelers will see big changes.
Designed to provide a modern experience and a bolstered connection from Iowa to the rest of the world, the new Des Moines International Airport (DSM) terminal aims to answer the need to support the region’s burgeoning economic development.
“The Des Moines Airport new terminal and parking garage projects will expand the airport’s overall passenger throughput capacity, making sure the airport is able to meet growing demands and better serve the greater community for decades to come,” said Dan Solem, Project Executive at Weitz/Turner, A Joint Venture.
HNTB Architects was selected to design the new terminal in conjunction with Accenture and Weitz/Turner. The Weitz Company, in a joint venture with Turner Construction, are leading the construction of Phase 1A of the project.
The Des Moines International Airport welcomed nearly 3.2 million passengers in 2024, surpassing the previous year’s 3 million milestone by 2.6 percent. This marked the second consecutive year of exceeding 3 million travelers and setting a new high for passenger traffic at the airport.
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However, the existing terminal building cannot adequately process the volume of passengers expected in the future.
The airport’s most recent terminal area forecast predicts 5 million passengers will use the airport facilities by 2035. The current terminal building — which dates back to 1948 — provides 12 gates, but future demand projects a need for more.
The new terminal will provide 18 aircraft gates; streamlined security processing with eight screening lanes; larger and more flexible holdrooms; improved baggage handling systems; additional remote parking positions enhancing opportunities for air service with new routes, new airlines, and increased flight frequencies; improved sustainability and green technology; and a new look featuring natural light and airfield views.
In the summer of this year, there will be three additional nonstop routes launching to serve flights to Boston, Massachusetts; Jacksonville, Florida; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Design began in 2022, with full design completed and accepted by the Board of Directors in May 2024.
The airport authority's plans called for a multi-phase project to break up costs and allow the first phase of work to fit available funding.
“The Des Moines Airport approached The Weitz Company early about this project, understanding they wanted a partner with construction and local expertise to weigh in at the early planning phases,” Solem said.
The project consists of four phases: Phase 1A - Main Terminal (five gates), Phase 1B West (two gates), Phase 1B East (four gates), and Phase 1C - Future Westward Expansion.
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According to The Weitz Company, both Phase 1A and 1B West are under construction, while the design of Phase 1B East is 90 percent complete.
“This project has been in the works for nearly 10 years,” Solem said. “The new terminal, sitting directly north of the existing terminal and adjacent to Runway 323, is scheduled to be completed in 2026.”
Phase 1A, a 265,000-square-foot expansion encompassing the main passenger processing areas, includes ticketing, baggage handling, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoint, as well as seven new aircraft gates. The additional gates will accommodate larger aircrafts, expanding the airport’s overall passenger capacity with a new meet-and-greet space, concessions, and other amenities.
In December of last year, The Weitz Company hosted a beam-signing event for community leaders and project team members to celebrate the Des Moines International Airport new terminal closing out its structural phase, marking a major milestone in the project’s construction process.
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This celebration was held at the project’s job site and recognized the progress and partnerships driving the development.
Following the completion of structural steel in January 2025, the construction team shifted its focus to completing the building structure.
“Currently the superstructure is complete,” Solem said. “The building exterior is 60 percent complete, the roofing is 40 percent complete, and the mechanical-plumbing-electrical rough-in work is 40 percent complete. Interior framing work has started and is ongoing while baggage handling system installations have also begun.”
The new terminal will connect into the existing C Concourse via a skywalk, allowing the airlines to utilize existing gates on both the A and C concourses.
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The exterior envelope of the new terminal is expected to be watertight, with the full façade completed by the end of summer 2025.
The Des Moines International Airport is funded through a combination of sources, including Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program; the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Airport Infrastructure Grants; the BIL Airport Terminals Program; TSA Baggage System Grant; federal community funded projects; state infrastructure grants (ICAIF and RIIF); Prairie Meadows Casino & Hotel; regional municipalities and counties; and the authority reserves, revenues, and bonding.
“An initial challenge the project faced is securing necessary funding for the entirety of Phase 1,” Solem said.
While Phases 1A and 1B have achieved fully-funded status, funding for the remaining Phase 1C remains to be secured.
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“While Phases 1A and 1B will be transformational, we continue to work collaboratively with our project partners through funding and building phases to see this project through,” Solem said.
“With the national priority we have seen around infrastructure investments over recent years, we are hopeful that others also see the value in the Des Moines International Airport project and others like it around the country,” he added.
A new aspect of the building design is the incorporation of two new pedestrian bridges.
One bridge will link the new terminal to the existing terminal, while the other bridge will link the new terminal to the new parking garage. Each bridge has unique characteristics, such as glazing systems to capture views and natural light and integral wayfinding for patron experience.
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To ensure installation went smoothly while working in a very active space, the Weitz/Turner team worked with the design team and potential vendors to develop prefabrication solutions for both bridge installations, minimizing site space utilization and to speed up onsite installation timeframes.
The team used Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) techniques to coordinate and pre-plan construction activities.
These efforts included focusing on virtual system coordination to eliminate waste during installation activities and prefabricating components for less onsite handling to gain more efficiencies during the build.
“VDC usage for the baggage handling system helped the team better visualize and understand complex congestion areas within key areas before they became issues in the field,” Solem said. “Furthermore, VDC enabled our team to discuss these issues with stakeholders and develop solutions focusing on the passenger experience within the new terminal.”
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Despite the challenges of being under construction with both the terminal and the parking garage, as well as unexpected disruptions, the Des Moines International Airport continues to thrive as a vital hub for both business and leisure travelers, according to DSM.
“Large scale infrastructure projects take years of planning and stakeholder engagement before construction even begins,” Solem said. “In our experience, those large projects are better set up for success by owners who engage with contractors early in the planning phases.”
“We are seeing this play out at the Des Moines International Airport terminal project as we are underway with construction and continuing to move through future project phases collaboratively with the ownership, design, and delivery teams,” Solem added.
Solem said that long-range planning is key; contractors must understand and appreciate the Operations Readiness and Training process to ensure successful transitions between punch-listing work and when the building becomes fully secured.
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“Our team is honored to be a part of such a landmark project for the Greater Des Moines community and the state of Iowa,” Solem said. “The Weitz Company has a long history in the state of Iowa, being established in Des Moines in 1855, and we take great pride in being able to build and give back to our community.”
The overall Phase 1A completion, which includes both the new terminal construction, demolition, and the renovation of the existing terminal building into a new administration building concludes in the fall of 2027.
“The Weitz/Turner team has done an outstanding job so far and we look forward to continuing to see this project come to life,” Solem said.
- Owner: Des Moines Airport Authority
- General Contractor: The Weitz Company, in a joint venture with Turner Construction
- Designer: HNTB Architects, in conjunction with Accenture and Weitz/Turner
- Other Key Partners: BNIM Architects, Henderson Engineers, FOTH Engineering, BBS Engineering
