A new $1.6 billion, 15-gate terminal at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport will open in 2027 to accommodate rapid growth in North Texas.
Officials broke ground Nov. 19 at the site of the 400,000-square-foot Terminal F, which will be built on land where the Express South parking lot once was.
The modular construction project — part of the nearly $9 billion capital improvement “DFW Forward” project that launched this summer — will include a Skylink light rail station as well as new dining and shopping choices for travelers.
The new terminal is a key element of the airport’s growth, DFW Airport CEO Sean Donohue said.
“It’s a reflection of growth in the region,” Donohue told the Fort Worth Report. “More importantly, we have to be ahead of the growth.”
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said Terminal F is another transformational milestone for the airport and the region.
“As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, we are excited to prepare for the future with DFW Airport, further connecting the DFW Metroplex with the world,” Parker, who did not attend the groundbreaking, said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting a bigger and better DFW Airport that will bring more opportunities for our communities and travelers.”
DeMetris Sampson, chair of the airport’s board of directors, said the new terminal will allow the airport to “continue discovering new ways to care for our customers, inspire the future of travel, fuel our community with more jobs and create opportunities for businesses in our region.”
“Partnership, growth and excitement continues to spread throughout the entire North Texas region, and DFW is at the epicenter of it all,” Sampson told people gathered near an active runway fenced off from the construction site.
The nearby Terminal E will be expanded with more than 100,000 square feet since the first phase of Terminal F won’t initially have its own dedicated check-in, security checkpoint or baggage claim facilities. Travelers using Terminal F will check in at Terminal E, then use the airport’s Skylink system to access Terminal F via a new station.
Terminal F will be built to allow for its expansion to add more gates and supporting facilities when needed.
“We’re really building two terminals,” Donohue said.
Mohamed Charkas, the airport’s executive vice president of infrastructure and development, said he was excited that “in two years, we will be welcoming people to DFW’s newest terminal.”
Donohue said Terminal F will be the airport’s first new terminal built in nearly 20 years since Terminal D, a $1.2 billion facility, opened in 2005. Discussions with air carriers for space in the new terminal are ongoing.
Other capital improvement projects at DFW Airport include the expansion of Terminal A, the renovation of Terminal C, a new east-west connector road, a new electrical plant with 100% renewable resources, two new fire stations, a taxiway project and the redevelopment of 19th Street cargo facilities to accommodate double-cargo aircraft.
The airport will use the same modular construction techniques that contractors used in 2022 when five Terminal C gates were rebuilt. Modules will be built at a prefabrication site before those are moved across the airfield for installation at the designated site.
Officials said modular construction methods are more efficient and aid construction timelines with major activity taking place simultaneously at two sites.
Innovation Next+, a joint venture of several companies, will build the Terminal F concourse and Skylink station. Construction companies involved include Archer Western Building Group, Turner Construction Co., Phillips May Corp., H.J. Russell & Co. and Carcon Industries. Design team firms are PGAL, Gensler and Muller2.
“We’re pushing ourselves even further,” Michael Whelan, president of Archer Western, said.
Donohue said the airport — which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year — was a visionary collaboration between officials in Fort Worth and Dallas. The airport received nearly 82 million passengers in 2023, making it the third-busiest airport in the world.
The airport’s 1,700 acres allow room for expansion and new facilities as rail services from Fort Worth and Dallas aid in connectivity.
Parking remains a significant source of revenue even though 1 of 3 passengers use a ride-share to reach the airport, Donohue said.
DFW Airport generates $38 billion in payroll for associated companies and workers as well as $5 billion in taxes, he said.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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