Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and American Airlines unveiled plans to dramatically increase the scope of the under-construction Terminal F, which will become the airport’s sixth passenger terminal to be fully occupied by the carrier.
DFW broke ground on Terminal F in November 2024, saying it would cost $1.6 billion and house 15 gates. The project was scheduled to be completed in 2027.
Underpinning Terminal F was a 10-year land-and-use agreement signed by American in 2023. The Oneworld carrier, based at DFW, agreed to occupy all 15 gates.
DFW and American on May 2 said they have extended the land-and-use agreement by another 10 years to 2043 and will double the number of gates planned for Terminal F to 31. The cost of the project has increased to $4 billion.
DFW said the original Terminal F project is “well underway and still scheduled to be operational in 2027 [with 15 gates], with the newly added [gates] planned to come online in additional phases.”
American accounts for around 60% of DFW’s passenger traffic.
“With this expanded plan for Terminal F, DFW has a clear path to become the largest airline hub in the world,” American CEO Robert Isom said.
DFW was the third-busiest passenger airport in the world in 2024, according to Airports Council International World, handling 87.8 million passengers, up 7.4% over 2023 and up 17% over 2019. Only Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Dubai International Airport processed more passengers in 2024.
DFW currently has a total of 171 gates across five terminals. The airport has seven runways.
DFW said the decision to significantly increase the size of Terminal F was based on “a positive long-term outlook for growth in passengers and of north Texas.” The airport added: “This consequential investment will expand the scope of Terminal F to deliver additional capacity for widebody aircraft and international flight processing, and includes additional spaces for state-of-the-art amenities, more shops and restaurants and public art.”
Outgoing DFW CEO Sean Donohue, set to retire in May, noted that “in the last decade, DFW has grown its passenger traffic by 50% and exceeded the wildest expectations of our founders to become the third-busiest airport in the world. Thanks to our close partnership with [American Airlines CEO] Robert Isom, American Airlines remains a competitive advantage that continues to show the strength of the airport as a global hub that is supporting the massive economic growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth region.”
He added that the expanded size of Terminal F “ensures that DFW and American maintain that momentum.”
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