The incident occurred in the afternoon when the shuttle, known as a "mobile lounge," was approaching its docking position and collided with the arrival hall of the main terminal, about 40 kilometers northwest of Washington, D.C.
The impact severely damaged the front of the vehicle and injured 18 passengers. The victims exited the bus via stairs and were taken to nearby hospitals for evaluation. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Crystal Nosal, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), said the vehicle struck the terminal at an angle and that the area had been cordoned off. Airport operations and flight schedules were not affected.
Washington Dulles Airport currently operates 19 mobile lounges, introduced in 1959. Each vehicle measures over 16 meters in length and nearly 5 meters in width, capable of carrying up to 102 passengers between the main terminal and aircraft gates.
Once considered a symbol of mid-20th-century American aviation design, the system is now viewed by many experts as outdated and inconvenient. The Dulles shuttle fleet has been involved in at least 16 collisions or incidents — including one fatal accident — between 2007 and 2017.
During a U.S. Senate hearing last week, MWAA board nominee Trent Morse described the shuttle system at Dulles Airport as "an embarrassing relic representing the face of the nation’s capital."
“It’s hard to believe that international visitors arriving in the capital of the world’s most powerful nation are being transported straight back to the 1960s,” he remarked.