The Port of Seattle has opened the expanded and renovated C Concourse at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, unveiling a major upgrade to one of the airport’s key passenger areas. The project delivers a new look and additional capacity within the central terminal complex, reflecting the Port’s focus on passenger experience, amenities, and long-term infrastructure planning.
The C Concourse Expansion sits between the airport’s C and D Concourses on a site that previously contained nonpublic back-of-house space. The former footprint was largely used for offices and tenant storage, which has now been transformed into publicly accessible concourse space for travelers. Rising four new floors above the original area, the project introduces multiple levels of circulation, gathering, and amenity zones designed to accommodate increasing passenger volumes.
At the heart of the expansion is an open atrium intended to function as a central hub for the new concourse levels. Within this volume, the Port has added ten new dining and retail options, providing passengers with a wider range of food, beverage, and shopping choices during dwell times. These offerings are complemented by six SEA Sparks Incubator Program retail kiosks, which create opportunities for emerging or smaller-scale retail concepts to operate in the airport environment.
The design program also incorporates several distinctive placemaking features. The Tree at C and the Grand Stairs create a focal point and gathering area within the atrium, while an adjacent performance area offers space for live events or programming. At the upper levels, an airfield observation area known as The Lookout at C gives travelers a dedicated vantage point over the airfield, adding an experiential component beyond traditional concourse functions.
According to the Port of Seattle, the project represents an effort to combine infrastructure expansion with sustainability and community-facing goals. Port of Seattle Commission President Ryan Calkins stated that the C Concourse Expansion demonstrates what is possible when innovation, environmental leadership, and partnership align, emphasizing that the Port aims to elevate both comfort and connection for travelers while advancing its climate objectives.
Overall, the expansion adds more than 145000 square feet of new space at the airport, incorporating services, amenities, and art throughout the concourse. The combination of additional floors, new commercial offerings, and public gathering spaces is intended to support passenger flows, enhance the airport experience, and reflect the Port’s broader approach to investing in modernized aviation facilities.
