PDX simply needs more space to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the millions of passengers we serve. Right now, we welcome around 20 million people per year; we expect that number to grow to 35 million passengers by 2045. That’s why we’re upgrading the heart of the airport with an earthquake-resilient main terminal that has more room to keep everyone comfortable. See how we’re bringing this vision to life.

We’re making the Portland International Airport more, well, PDX. When the new main terminal opens in spring 2024, expect windows and skylights galore, #PNW touches like Doug fir ceilings and indoor plants, and more of your favorite shops and restaurants. Behind the scenes, we’re also making PDX more energy-efficient and inclusive by design. It’s the airport you love, getting lovelier.

PDX Next is funded with a $2 billion investment. You may wonder who’s picking up that check. The answer is simple: It’s not local taxpayers. The airport’s tenants — and by tenants we include the airlines — are paying for the vast majority of the upgrades.

We know a lot is happening now, with lots of temporary walls and detours, but it won’t last forever. Promise! We’ve already doubled the airport’s footprint and installed PDX’s new nine-acre wood roof overhead. Now we’ll spend 2023 building the shops and restaurants you’ll soon find in the new main terminal and planting all the trees. In 2024, you’ll be able to see everything we’ve been accomplishing behind the construction walls—and by the end of 2025, the PDX Next construction project will be complete.

Yes! But we don’t think you’ll miss it. In November 2019, we said goodbye to the oldest, stuffiest concourse at PDX, demolishing Concourse A to make room for a new Concourse B in December 2021. We’ve added six gates, an immersive artwork by RYAN! Feddersen, and some of Portland’s best coffee and fried chicken. Of course, the change means that the alphabet at PDX now begins with “B” — just doing our part to keep Portland a little weird.

When the new main terminal opens in 2024, you won’t need airline tickets to shop at the four retail stores we’re adding nor at the four new places to grab a bite to eat or a coffee. And you can wait for your arriving passengers, while you admire the expansive views, at a showstopper restaurant and bar on the mezzanine level. (Don’t worry: PDX is keeping our street pricing policy, so you’ll pay the same prices at the airport as you do in local shops.) Once you do go through security, there will be even more shopping and dining options on the other side.

You bet! That’s one way we’re keeping the heart and soul of PDX intact. Throughout the expansion project, we’ve partnered with local forest stewards, construction companies, and craftspeople. As we open more spaces for restaurants and shops, we’re creating new opportunities for local businesses, too. By the time the new main terminal’s shops and restaurants open in 2024, 26% of the airport’s concessions will be women- and minority-owned.

We’re making a bunch of improvements to help you get in and out of the airport seamlessly. A few of these changes—like the new on-site rental car center that eliminated the need for shuttles—are already in effect. At present, you can pick up your Lyft or Uber from Island 2 outside the baggage claim area. In mid-2023, we’ll open a dedicated rideshare pick-up area, which will ease roadway congestion for everyone.

Oh, yes, the famous carpet at PDX. It’s risen to celebrity status over the years, thanks to a bajillion shoe selfies, not to mention the Trail Blazers’ 2022-23 uniforms. You probably know that the airport replaced the iconic, worn-out 1980s-era carpet with a similar design in 2015. Well, we’re bringing the old design back to a few spots in the new main terminal. High-traffic areas will have terrazzo or wood floors so wheelchairs, strollers, and roller bags can zip through. You’ll find carpet in areas where you might wait, such as the ticket lobby, security screening zones, and pre-security lounges.

Those of us who work at the airport miss the hallway between Concourses B/C and Concourses D/E as much as passengers do. Don’t worry—it’s coming back. Once the first phase of PDX’s new main terminal opens in August 2024, you'll be able to visit every post-security gate (or business) just as freely as you used to.

In order to keep visitors safe while we expand the main terminal, we installed temporary walkways from the north and south TSA screening stations to Concourses C and D in late 2021. We know the extra distance to your gate can be a drag. But it’s only temporary! In 2025, at the end of the terminal expansion project, both walkways will disappear.

We can’t imagine a PDX without the talented musicians who perform for visitors. In fact, we’re building a bigger stage for them in the new main terminal: a pre-security platform surrounded by stadium seating. And if you have a few minutes before or after your flight, check out the major works of art we’ve added, including Jacob Hashimoto’s hanging pieces in Concourse E, RYAN! Feddersen’s installation in Concourse B, and Perez Westbrooks’ mural in the walkway to the rental car center. There’s still more to come!

Well, this isn’t a question … but don’t worry, we’ve got some tasty news for you. Since 2020, more than a dozen new concessions have opened at PDX. The mix includes local favorites like Good Coffee on Concourse B and Juliett on Concourse E. When the expanded main terminal opens in 2024, we're opening even more local shops and restaurants at PDX.