On Tuesday, Dulles International Airport completed and opened the first of a three-phase project to expand the airport. The $77 million expansion will add 206,000 square feet to the existing facility.The first phase will introduce 50 new processing booths for customs and immigration lines. The booths will allow processing of 2,400 travelers per hour, compared to the previous 1,400 per hour. An AeroTrain system that will run underground from the main terminal to the concourses is slated to open by the end of the year, and the next two phases will be finished by 2011.The project has come as a result of the continued increase in clientele and sales at the airport, despite the economic downfall. Recently Dulles added direct flights to Moscow and Geneva, as well as the Colombian airline Avianca.The International Arrivals Building (IAB) of the airport has been around for less then two decades. In 1991, when the terminal opened, it served 1.4 million people a year. In 2008, however, the same airport terminal served approximately 6.2 million travelers.New renovations include higher ceilings, brighter lights, flat-screen televisions and scenic views.Courtney Mickalonis, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said the view is her favorite part of the new facility.”It’s a beautiful space, [a] much nicer facility,” Mickalonis said. “I love the big window that looks out to the old traffic control tower.””