DFW Airport celebrates 50 years serving North Texas
DALLAS - This month marks 50 years of DFW Airport’s service to the region and around the world.
As a lot has transpired and evolved over the five decades, the airport says it maintains that safety must be a priority.
The second busiest airport in the world and the second youngest major hub in the U-S is set to celebrate 50 years in existence.
"We want to recognize, celebrate and express our gratitude to everybody, our employees, customers, business partners," said DFW Airport CEO Sean Donohue.
The first flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International took off Jan. 13, 1974. That year, the airport served seven million customers. Compare that to now.
"We will serve 80 million customers this year. But by 2030, it will be over 100 million customers. So the growth will continue," Donohue said.
A year-long celebration of DFW is planned. Highlights will include its history and future, namely the completion of a previously announced, brand new 6th terminal, Terminal F. The project was paused at the onset of the pandemic.
Another major improvement will be a complete rehaul and renovation of the oldest terminal.
"Our oldest terminal, Terminal C, we’re literally going to tear down and rebuild," Donohue said. "And then we’ve got hundreds of other projects at the airport, so we’ll continue to invest."
Additionally, Donohue says safety and security continue to be priorities.
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One area discussed was runway safety, given the recent tragedy in Tokyo, Japan, when a commercial plane burst into flames after a collision with a small coastguard aircraft at Haneda Airport, killing five people.
"Many, many airports, when you land, you then have to hold to cross an active runway to get to the terminal. What we have done already is we’ve built what we called two in-and-around taxiways where, as a plane lands, it can taxi around the runways and doesn’t have to cross," Donohue explained. "So that’s an improvement in safety. We built two, and we’re currently building a third. No other airport in the world has three in-and-around taxiways like we do."
Fifty years and counting, DFW International is celebrating a half-century.
"We’ve got to make sure we’re always providing that opportunity for growth, and that we can never be a constraint," Donohue said. "So that’s why these investments we're making are so important."