

Adopting the practical and efficient design typical of newer airports in the US such as KIAD and KATL, DIA’s terminal consists of three remote concourses connected to each other and to the main terminal via an underground tram. DIA’s most distinctive feature is the main terminal with its iconic white roof designed to mimic the snow-caped peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the west. It also features the longest runway of any civilian airport in the US which, at 16,000 ft., enables fully-loaded, large aircraft to take off for long-haul flights from Denver’s 5400 ft. KDEN’s six runways are arranged to enable no less than three simultaneous approaches during reduced visibility conditions regardless of prevailing winds and to practically eliminate runway crossings during taxiing to and from the terminal and other general aviation and cargo facilities. It was designed to facilitate and expedite aircraft traffic flow on the ground and in the air thanks to a unique set of runways made possible by the sparse population in the plains just east of the city of Denver. By surface area, DIA is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world. Denver International (DIA) is the last major airport built from the ground up in the United States, replacing the aging Stapleton airport on February 28, 1995.
