Denver International Airport (DEN) will add 11 gates in Concourse C as mile-high urban air traffic continues to boom.
The $700 million C West End expansion, also known as “C-West,” will add 400,000 square feet to the concourse for 11 gates and new concession areas, as well as a new outdoor terrace with panoramic views of the Rockies.
The project is part of DEN’s “Vision 100” plan to expand the airport’s facilities and is expected to accommodate 100 million passengers over the next decade. In 2024, DEN welcomed a record 82.4 million passengers.
The Denver City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved an extended project management contract on Dec. 17, bringing the project closer to reality.
The C-West expansion project comes three years after DEN completed a 39-gate expansion across its three concourses. The gates are occupied by Southwest Airlines and United Airlines to support their rapidly growing airport hubs.
DEN CEO Phil Washington could not say which airline will use the 11 new C-West gates.
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“We have a gate waiting list for those 11 gates,” he told a City Council committee on Dec. 17. “The airlines want to grow and we have that waiting list right now.”
Southwest or United are the most likely beneficiaries, as they drive much of DEN’s traffic growth. Southwest Airlines, the anchor tenant in Concourse C, could expand into new gates, or Delta Air Lines could move out of Concourse A, allowing United to expand its presence in the A.
United executives have publicly stated that they hope to expand the airline’s DEN hub to approximately 700 flights per day. Only around 575 flights are scheduled for June 2026, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, but the airline will see significant growth in DEN’s future.
DEN is busy with expansion work. The final phase of renovations to the airport’s main terminal, which includes a new “living room” area outside security and is expected to open in 2027, is delayed and over budget. Design of the new United Polaris Lounge is in progress. Other improvements and upgrades are also in the works.
A DEN spokesperson said the airport has not yet finalized the timing of the C-West extension. The project is part of the airport’s capital improvement plan to 2035.
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