Denver International Airport experiencing growing pains

Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington updated the public Wednesday morning about how things are going at the airport. Top of mind for him and many is the long security wait times travelers have been experiencing. He says to blame the Great Hall Project.

"Listen, it's tough constructing something and people are still walking through it," said Washington.

He says he's determined to eliminate those long waits so early in 2024, they will open a newly built north security checkpoint. It will have state-of-the-art technology which they hope will get passengers through security faster, which is good because Denver International Airport is seeing more and more foot traffic every year.

 "People have made a decision to travel," said Washington. "I think what we'll see is some relief."

Washington anticipates they will average 100 million annual passengers sooner than anticipated, which means in addition to the Great Hall Project they have some work to do.

First up is cracking down on car thefts from airport parking lots. Airport crews are installing new halo cameras in parking areas and deploying drone surveillance.

"One car that's stolen out here is one car too many," said Washington.

The airport is also studying how to alleviate traffic on Peña Boulevard, the main route for vehicles to get to and from the terminal, and they announced the launch of a new construction project that will be completed by 2045.

They are adding four new walkable concourses with 100 new gates. Washington says that project shouldn't affect passengers.

"Those will be invisible, I think, to the passenger," said Washington.

In the meantime, he says the airport will likely still have growing pains.

"We ask the public and travelers to bear with us," said Washington.