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.
The transformation marks the culmination of more than four years of construction and a decade of planning and preparation. Designed by Gensler and 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.
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. 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.
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 consisting 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.
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 and 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 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 eco-regions, 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.
PIT serves approximately 10 million passengers annually.
For more information, visit www.flypittsburgh.com.
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