Frequent travelers to Miami International Airport (MIA) are familiar with Gate D60.
At the western end of Concourse D is the home of many American Eagle flights, a shadowy space with a seating area that serves 17 ground-level regional aircraft parking positions. It is the MIA equivalent of the much-despised former Gate 35X at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) which closed in 2021.
That will change in 2030, when a new $1 billion three-level extension to Concourse D is scheduled to open, replacing the currently narrow Gate D60. The expansion will house 17 gates, all with passenger boarding bridges directly connected to the concourse, and a new international arrivals corridor on the third level.
“The new and reimagined D60 is a transformative project that will deliver a vastly improved experience for our customers and our team,” said Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, in a statement On Wednesday. “This investment, along with new premium lounges and new routes, reflects our shared commitment to Miami-Dade County and the airport to ensure Miami remains the United States’ leading gateway to Latin America.”
American, which today exclusively uses Gate D60, will use the new expansion when it is complete.
Initial renderings show a light-filled space with a metal lattice shielding the interior from the South Florida sun. At the center of the extension is a rotunda with a rooftop clerestory bringing natural light to a new interior garden below.
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The appearance gives the space a much-needed upgrade over the rest of the Huge and highly valued Room D. An “outspoken project,” it went through many iterations (and managers) from its conception by American under the airline’s legendary former CEO and chairman Robert Crandall in 1995 until it was finally completed nearly two decades later in 2014.
For American, however, the Concourse D design greatly improved operations by replacing four finger contests with a linear installation.
The D60 Gate extension will be led by MIA as part of a larger project. $9 billion airport improvement program. Other aspects include the demolition and replacement of concourses F and G and improvements to many airport amenities.
Construction of the Gate D60 extension is scheduled to begin in 2027.
