DFW Airport reacting to area growth with new terminal, upgrades

Chris McLaughlin has about five months under his belt as CEO of what is widely regarded as an economic linchpin spurring North Texas growth: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. 

For evidence of the growth of Fort Worth and North Texas, he can look out his window. The airport is in the midst of a $12 billion capital improvement program, the airport’s largest investment since its founding in disco days of 1974. The program includes a complete overhaul of Terminal C and the construction of the brand-new Terminal F, which will bring dozens of new gates to support the region’s rapid growth. 

This is part of the Report’s special 1 Million & Counting Growth Series and Luncheon, which will be published on Mondays into October. The reporting will lead to a growth summit Oct. 23 at the downtown Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus.

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“This year, we’ll be north of 86 million passengers and we expect to be at 87 million next year,” said McLaughlin. 

McLaughlin will keynote the Fort Worth Report Growth Summit luncheon at PalmWood Event & Conference center on Oct. 23, discussing the airport’s impact on Tarrant County’s past 50 years of growth and its vision for the next 50.

The impact of growth in the area is not only evidenced by the construction, but on decisions being made in the boardrooms, he said. 

Terminal F was originally planned to be built in phases and only have a connection to the rest of the airport via a train. But in May, after American Airlines made an additional commitment to the airport, plans changed. Those decisions were directly tied to the region’s growth, McLaughlin said. 

“We decided to build the full Terminal F,” he said. “Instead of building 15 gates, we’ll build 31 gates and eight of those gates will be wide-body capable for international airlines. It’s not just adding capability, but it’s international capability.” 

Chris McLaughlin, CEO of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. (Courtesy photo | DFW Airport)

The upgraded plans will also increase lounge and premium space, add a new lobby check-in area and create a dedicated parking garage. The first phase of Terminal F is expected to open with 15 gates in 2027.

Terminal F has already set a record when the airport moved six prefabricated module structures that form the framework of the first phase of the project. They were the largest modules for a terminal expansion at any airport.

When the work on the two terminals are complete, McLaughlin said, the airport, which currently comes in at No. 3 in terms of passenger traffic in the U.S., will be able to handle substantially more passenger traffic.

“That will be in the 2030 time frame, so going from the single millions of passengers in the 1970s to then 100 million passengers is pretty impressive, and it will have a huge impact on the community and businesses here in general,” he said. 

Moreover, airlines are adding more international routes to connect the Fort Worth-Dallas area with the world. The airport recently saw announcements from Fiji Airways, Cathay Pacific and Royal Jordanian airlines about new service, and McLaughlin expects to see more. 

While international travel to the U.S. is declining overall, DFW Airport has seen a 2.3% increase in international passengers. 

 “We are seeing positive trends in international travel,” he said. 

McLaughlin said the airport’s current economic impact on the North Texas area is estimated at $38 billion in direct and indirect payroll support, $24 billion in visitor spending and about $5 billion in state and local tax revenue annually. 

During this time of unprecedented growth and construction, McLaughlin noted that Airports Council International named DFW Airport the best large airport in North America for customer satisfaction for the last two consecutive years despite the massive construction projects. 

“What I found in my four years here is what we’re really known for is our customer service,” he said. “It’s not so much our buildings that make people smile. It’s our humans that do it.” 

The updated economic impact study, released in 2023 by the Perryman Group, was the first major update about DFW’s economic impact since 2015. The study shows visitor spending increased 24.7% to $23.96 billion, from 2015’s $19.2 billion. 

McLaughlin is not concerned that the airport will run out of room as growth continues. The founders of the airport wisely provided 17,000 acres for development at a time when there was very little in the area surrounding it, so there is space, he notes, for another runway should it come to that. 

“We should all be thankful that the founders of the airport provided us plenty of room to grow because this area is growing,” he said. 

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.