Transformed Pittsburgh International Airport Opens Today

‘Reimagined’ PIT a Model of Energy Self-Sufficiency, Operational Resiliency, Economic Development, and a Streamlined Passenger Experience

PITTSBURGH — The new Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) officially opens today. The state-of-the-art terminal is designed to serve Western Pennsylvania and its passengers, while creating a model of innovation and operational resilience in a rapidly evolving air travel landscape.

PIT Transformed is the culmination of more than four years of construction and a decade of planning and preparation. Designed by Gensler + HDR in association with luis vidal + architects, the new terminal ushers in the next era of aviation for the region’s travelers and introduces a new front door to the Pittsburgh region.

“This new terminal is both a bold statement to the world about what an airport can be — and a love letter to our community,” said PIT CEO Christina Cassotis. “It’s an airport built for Pittsburgh, by Pittsburgh.”

“From architecture that reflects our region to an industry-first microgrid that makes PIT energy self-sufficient, this new terminal is emblematic of Pittsburgh’s modern innovation economy and its determination to set the standard and lead,” noted Cassotis.

The opening comes after the new terminal and its systems went through months of rigorous testing, capped off by two large public trials with more than 2,000 community participants. Overwhelmingly, participants gave the terminal high marks for design and were impressed with the $1.7 billion facility, which was constructed with no local or state taxpayer dollars.

“This is a historic day. This new airport is the front door for our entire region — for businesses looking to expand, for families visiting colleges or for Western Pennsylvanians returning home,” said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. “This is a terminal built by, and for, the Pittsburgh region with local labor and materials – and is an industry-leading icon we all can be proud of.”

The first flight at the new terminal was arrival United #794 from San Francisco that landed at 5:12 a.m., while the first departure was Southwest #1841 to Denver at 5:15 a.m.

The new PIT replaces an outmoded terminal built for a different era and a single airline. Today’s terminal is designed as an origin-and-destination airport – one where passengers begin and end their journey in Pittsburgh — easily accommodating 15 airlines and their business and passenger needs.

PIT’s dramatic reinvention continues Western Pennsylvania’s legacy of aviation innovation. It redefines the role of an airport as a regional economic engine and technology incubator, including Neighborhood 91, the world’s first airport-based additive manufacturing campus, and PIT’s microgrid, which utilizes on-site natural gas reserves to achieve total energy self-sufficiency — a first for a major airport.

“The opening of PIT’s new terminal represents a significant investment in the future of airport infrastructure and the passenger experience for the Pittsburgh region and the global aviation system,” said Kevin M. Burke, President and CEO of Airports Council International — North America. “Christina Cassotis and the entire team at PIT have delivered an impressive, modern facility that raises the bar for efficiency, passenger experience, and accessibility across the airport industry. By expanding security screening capacity, integrating advanced technology, and enhancing accessibility features, this project reflects how airports are adapting to meet the evolving needs of travelers and the communities they serve.”

Built for a modern travel environment

On the cusp of the busy holiday travel season, passengers can expect immediate benefits including:

• Faster, more streamlined security experience: The new terminal offers one consolidated checkpoint with 12 TSA lanes — compared to seven at the main checkpoint today — featuring the latest TSA equipment and an automated bin return.

• Baggage delivery times halved: The new baggage system is state-of-the-art, cutting eight miles of bag belt down to three and offering significantly greater efficiency, with an expectation that time of baggage delivery will be cut in half.

• New international arrivals experience: International arriving passengers will experience a more efficient and faster arrival, replacing a temporary fix in the old terminal that saw international passengers arrive airside — a relic of the design for US Airways’ connecting passengers.
• Better, more efficient parking options: The new 3,300-space parking garage features three times the amount of covered parking and the latest in parking technology, including digital signs with real-time counts of available spaces and green lights to indicate where open spots can be found. PIT also added the Terminal Lot, an approximate five-minute walk to the terminal’s front door. The Shuttle Lot, formerly comprised of the Long Term, Extended and Economy Lots, includes thousands of parking spaces and new, heated shelters with a real-time shuttle tracking system.
• Outdoor terraces: A rarity in U.S. airports, the new terminal will have four terraces – two pre-security and two post-security – allowing all passengers the opportunity for fresh air and a calm respite. Still under construction, the terraces will be landscaped with natural Western Pennsylvania landscapes.
• Welcome Point: Passengers arriving to the transformed terminal will enter PIT’s Welcome Point — a spot for all airport visitors to wait for arriving passengers. This aspect of the terminal is uniquely Pittsburgh, designed for a community that favors welcoming loved-ones and guests in-person.
• Enhanced shopping and dining: Travelers will see 20 new or refreshed concessions as part of the renovated airside terminal experience, including local favorites like Mineo’s Pizza and Café Conmigo with national brands such as Shake Shack, Jimmy John’s and more.

Crossing into a transformed airport experience

PIT’s new terminal is designed to reflect, connect and serve the community, designed with principles of universal access to create a welcoming experience for every visitor. For Pittsburghers, exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel to a view of the city’s iconic skyline is an unforgettable experience, one that PIT reflects with the addition of the Skybridge and tunnel.

Functionally, the terminal Skybridge connects the new landside terminal with the existing airside terminal. It makes for a quicker, more seamless connection from the security checkpoint to the airside terminal. Walking through the Skybridge is akin to journeying through a Pittsburgh street with lighting that mimics the region’s natural landscape, bringing the outside in.

For Pittsburgh passengers, the new airport experience doesn’t end after leaving the Skybridge. Over the past several years, the airside terminal has also undergone renovations, with modernized gate areas, updated and more spacious bathrooms, family restrooms, nursing lounges in each concourse and a new Core area.

$2.5 billion in economic impact generated

The new terminal generated an estimated $2.5 billion in economic impact for the region and more than 14,000 jobs.

Approximately 90 percent of those who worked on the terminal hailed from the Greater Pittsburgh region and 90 percent of the materials and services were sourced locally. That includes 16,000 tons of structural steel that was fabricated locally.

Design Overview

The new, three-level, 811,000 square-foot terminal was designed to evoke the natural beauty and hardworking spirit of the region, and is a new, welcoming front door that connects the world to Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh to the world.

Designed by Gensler + HDR in association with luis vidal + architects, the terminal is guided by the principles of nature, technology and community (NaTeCo), integrating the region’s natural beauty, cutting-edge technological and medical research, and sense of pride in the community. This concept manifests in design elements that evoke rolling hills (roof form), forests (columns), and gardens (terraces), all exceptionally interwoven to provide a calming atmosphere and represent the region’s identity through architecture.

Design highlights include:

• Signature Roof & Columns: The expansive wooded forests and rolling Allegheny Mountains are represented in the terminal’s sweeping, undulating roof design and the treelike form of the 38 unique, architecturally exposed steel (AESS) column support structures. Additionally, constellation lighting in the ceiling of the terminal reflects the region’s star-filled night skies and creates a sense of place.
• Strategic Materials: Metal ceilings take on the appearance of warm wood for a welcoming aesthetic while avoiding warping. Large curtainwall glazing allows for abundant natural light.
• Biophilic Integration: The terraces will feature plant species native to Western Pennsylvania and represent Pittsburgh’s diverse ecoregions, providing spacious areas for respite and fresh air throughout the traveler’s journey.
• Climate Resilience: Locally sourced and recycled materials were used throughout the terminal while rainwater harvesting systems are used to sustain the terraces’ landscaping. The project is pursuing LEED Gold certification and is completely powered by a microgrid using natural gas and solar energy.

Clear and concise signage designed by Gensler, an intuitive layout, and seamless passenger journey define the new terminal, reducing walking distances and simplifying the travel experience. Passengers move through two distinct levels — departures above and arrivals below — ensuring a smooth and efficient flow from landside to airside.

The new Skybridge and tunnel, designed by luis vidal + architects, links the new terminal to the renovated existing airside core — also designed by the firm — and draws inspiration from the dramatic sense of compression and expansion travelers experience when emerging from Pittsburgh’s Fort Pitt Tunnel.

About Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)

PIT serves approximately 10 million passengers annually. Its new terminal, opened Nov. 18, 2025, has transformed the passenger experience and showcases the region’s thriving economy as its new front door. PIT has recently won numerous international awards including being named by Fast Company magazine as One of the Most Innovative Companies in the World as well as a finalist in Accessible Design. Future Travel Experience named PIT a winner in its Pioneer innovation awards, and PIT’s first-of-its-kind microgrid has garnered numerous accolades for resiliency. For more information visit www.flypittsburgh.com.

Lead Design Team

About Gensler

Gensler is a dynamic and collaborative design firm uniting creativity, research, and innovation to solve complex problems and challenge conventional ideas about architecture and the built environment. Founded in 1965, Gensler has built a team of 6,000 professionals who partner with clients in over 100 countries each year. For over 40 years, Gensler’s aviation practice has transformed and evolved the air travel experience with a portfolio spanning ICN’s Terminal 2, SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1, EGE’s new concourse, and the recently opened SAN’s New Terminal 1. The firm’s commitment to innovation has resulted in multiple Prix Versailles design awards, the first FitWel certified airport terminal, and being ranked the #1 Airport Facility Architecture Firm of 2024 by Building Design + Construction.

About HDR

HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, HDR is now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Their success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges. Since its beginnings more than six decades ago, HDR’s aviation practice has grown to assist more than 160 airport clients around the world, including 29 of the FAA’s Core 30 airports. They bring to aviation projects the same values that have established their reputation in other markets: top-tier technical expertise and a client-focused commitment to project delivery.

About luis vidal + architects

luis vidal + architects is an international design studio known for leading architectural and environmental innovation, high quality projects and excellent user experience. Founded in 2004, with offices in the USA, Spain, Chile and the Dominican Republic, the firm specializes in designing airports and hospitals but has also worked in a broad range of typologies. Having designed more than 30 major international airport projects, the firm is known for terminals that redefine passenger freedom, fluidity and experience. Notable past projects include the award-winning Heathrow Terminal 2 “The Queen’s Terminal,” the expansion at Dallas Forth-Worth International Airport, and the new international terminal at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Current projects include a new international terminal at JFK, and terminals in Pensacola, Fl. and the Dominican Republic.