Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) officials are taking steps to reduce airline costs at Washington Dulles International Airport, and are hoping for a future financial boost from Metro’s Silver Line.
Airlines – and hence their passengers – pay higher fees at Dulles than at Reagan National or Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall airports because operating costs at Dulles include debt service for a slew of recent capital improvements.
As part of their lease agreements with MWAA, airlines cover their share of operating expenses at Dulles and Reagan National airports. Airlines divide those expenses by the number of people boarding their airplanes to come up with a “cost per enplanement” figure.
