Maryland approves BWI Airport concession management contract, $396 million in state projects

Maryland's Board of Public Works approved $369 million in projects during a meeting Wednesday along with a retail management contract at BWI Airport. 

The contract allows Fraport Baltimore Partnership, LLC to manage and renovate the retail and restaurant services at the airport. Fraport USA was founded in 1991 and was the first company to launch branded retail in airport terminals in the U.S., according to its website.

The approved contract could generate about $39.4 million in revenue during its first full year, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. 

Fraport has also committed to investing $31.5 million in improvements and would pay the state a 90% share of gross concession revenue, the board said. 

According to Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman, the contract would also generate revenue for the state's Aviation Administration as well as sales tax for the state. It would also make way for new vendors in the airport and lower the risk of current vendors leaving. 

"I just think remaining in a month-to-month contract means empty food and retail spaces in a brand-new concession space and that is a huge risk to the state," the comptroller said. "Nearly 30 million people travel through BWI annually, and it would not only be embarrassing not to have any concessions in a new space to offer travelers. But we would be losing millions of dollars in sales tax brought to us, often by people from other states." 

Board approves several projects

The Board of Public Works approved a total of 70 projects during its Wednesday meeting, which will cost $396,648,102.20. 

The approved projects include: 

• Grant agreements for six project recipients in four counties and Baltimore City. The total value of those projects is about $2 million. 
• $16 million in awards to prime certified small businesses
• $17 million in awards to certified minority business enterprise primes
• 10 items awarded with participation goals for minority businesses
• Two items awarded with participation goals for veteran-owned small businesses

The board also approved $3.6 million in funding for Wicomico County's first state park. The park will be built on a piece of the Long Hill property, a 445-acre 18th-century plantation along Wetipquin Creek that is listed in the National Registry of Historical Places. 

Previous approvals 

In January 2025, the board approved more than $1.23 billion in projects across the state, including $135,000 in revenue bonds to finance improvements at Oriole Park in Camden Yards and $387 from the Maryland Transit Administration for new hybrid buses. 

During the January meeting, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore committed a record $605 million in ongoing investments to the Department of Education for a contract with Deloitte Consulting to administer the Child Care Scholarship Program.