New enhancements at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland opened to the public on Friday.
The airport now has a link connecting courses A and B, and a new baggage handling system. The two projects cost a combined $520 million and add about 142,000 square feet of new space.
The “A/B Connector” houses five relocated and modernized gates, all used by Southwest, the largest airline at BWI. Airport leaders said the gate areas have new seating, accent lighting, electrochromic glass for energy performance control, and 14,000 square feet of open market space for new food and retail concessions.
Another 28,000 square feet of flex space has been set aside for future concessions.
“This added gate capacity ushers the opportunity to add more service and prioritizes the airport experience for our customers using BWI Marshall Airport,” Southwest COO Andrew Watterson said in a statement. “Our longstanding partnership with the Maryland Aviation Administration positions BWI as much at the heart of our future as it has in the decades we’ve served as the airport’s largest carrier.”
Southwest flew more than 18 million passengers at BWI in fiscal year 2025, with about 230 daily departures.
The new in-line baggage handling system can process nearly 3,500 bags per hour, a significant increase over the previous system’s rate of 2,100 bags per hour. As part of that project, seven explosive device detection systems were installed and baggage claim carousels were replaced.
The baggage system will also be used by Southwest.
“This multi-year project is a major investment that will shape the future of the airport for years to come,” airport executive director and CEO Shannetta Griffin said in a news release. “We are excited to welcome our customers into a brighter, more efficient, and more modern terminal.”
Planning for the terminal improvements began in 2017, with construction getting underway in 2022.
