DENVER — The renovation of Denver International Airport’s Great Hall — the cavernous, tensile-roofed space beneath Jeppesen Terminal’s iconic white peaks — is running approximately six months behind schedule and $80 million over its most recent cost projection, pushing total expenditures on the troubled project past $1.8 billion and the anticipated completion date into late 2027, airport officials confirmed this week.
The delays are concentrated in the underground automated baggage system, where contractors have encountered unexpected complications integrating new conveyor infrastructure with the airport’s existing below-grade mechanical systems. A section of the baggage handling network on Concourse C has required two rounds of corrective work after initial inspections identified alignment issues that could have caused equipment jams at peak load.
“We are not where we planned to be at this point in the schedule,” said Denver International Airport CEO [Name] at a briefing with airport stakeholders Wednesday. “We are actively working to recover schedule wherever we can, but I won’t tell you we’re going to recover all of it.”
The Great Hall renovation, which began in 2019 under a public-private partnership with a concessionaire consortium, has been one of the most complex infrastructure projects in Colorado history. The original contract envisioned a five-year renovation delivering a modernized check-in hall, expanded concessions, new security checkpoints, and a revamped baggage system. The project has faced a series of setbacks, including a protracted legal dispute with the original contractor that was resolved in 2022 at a cost of more than $400 million.
Passengers traveling through DIA this spring are encountering a Great Hall that remains partially enclosed in temporary construction barriers, with roughly a third of the main level obstructed. The TSA Pre-Check and CLEAR lanes in the primary security hall have been consolidated, producing longer queues during morning and afternoon peaks that travelers have logged thousands of complaints about in airport satisfaction surveys.
“You get to the airport two hours early like they tell you to, and it still isn’t enough on some mornings,” said [Name], a Denver resident who flies regularly for work. “It’s been like this for years. At some point you start wondering if it’s ever actually going to be done.”
Airport officials said the baggage system complications will not affect the upper-level renovation timeline, and that the new Great Hall concessions — including a significantly expanded food hall on the mezzanine level — remain on track to begin phased openings in late 2026. The first new concession cluster, on the west side of the main level near the United check-in area, is scheduled to open in July.
The Denver City Council Aviation and Infrastructure Committee has scheduled a full progress briefing from DIA leadership for April 15. Council members have previously expressed frustration with the frequency of budget and schedule revisions on the project.