Airport Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

219 Dallas Fort Worth Airport Statistics for 2026

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport handled 85,660,127 passengers in 2025 on its own count, 2.5% fewer than in 2024, and ACI World ranked it fourth in the world. It is a hub for American Airlines, whose head office is in Fort Worth: the American carrier group carries more than four in five DFW passengers, and most people at DFW are changing planes.

This page brings together the main figures on DFW: passengers each year and in 2026, the busiest months and days, domestic and international traffic, airlines and connections, destinations, flights, enplanements, rankings, cargo, delays, security, the size of the airport, getting there, the building programme, jobs, finances and the environment. Every number links to the body that published it, with the date.

DFW figures depend on who counts. DFW counts every passenger arriving and departing, by calendar year and by its October-to-September fiscal year. The FAA counts only passengers boarding, US transport statistics cover only US airlines and US flights, and ACI uses its own totals for its rankings. Cargo comes in metric tons, US tons, pounds and landed weight. Each figure says whose it is and what it measures.

Headline figures

How many passengers use DFW each year?

DFW grew fast after the pandemic and set a record in 2024, then slipped back in 2025. Traffic in 2025 was still well above 2019, when the airport had about 75 million passengers.

69.1m 2018 75.1m 2019 39.4m 2020 62.5m 2021 73.4m 2022 81.8m 2023 87.8m 2024 85.7m 2025
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Passengers at DFW each calendar year, in millions, on DFW's count of passengers arriving and departing. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. 2022 and 2023 use the revised figures printed a year later.
PeriodValue
201869.1m
201975.1m
202039.4m
202162.5m
202273.4m
202381.8m
202487.8m
202585.7m
Passengers at DFW each calendar year, in millions, on DFW's count of passengers arriving and departing. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. 2022 and 2023 use the revised figures printed a year later. (DFW Airport (December 2025 traffic report), 2026)

DFW counts enplaned plus deplaned passengers on all airlines, scheduled and charter. Its December reports give the calendar year, and a later report sometimes revises the year before by a few thousand; this page uses the newest edition. Fiscal-year totals from the strategic plan cover October to September and are not compared with calendar years. ACI World and the FAA count on their own rules and appear in their own sections.

How busy is DFW in 2026?

DFW is running slightly below 2025 so far in 2026, with domestic traffic down and international traffic up. Foreign airlines are growing fastest, while low-cost carriers keep losing passengers.

6.09m Jan 6.12m Feb 7.17m Mar 6.79m Apr 7.44m May 7.70m Jun 8.13m Jul 7.38m Aug 7.06m Sep
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Passengers at DFW each month in 2026, in millions, on DFW's provisional figures. Each month comes from the report for that month; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
Jan6.09m
Feb6.12m
Mar7.17m
Apr6.79m
May7.44m
Jun7.70m
Jul8.13m
Aug7.38m
Sep7.06m
Passengers at DFW each month in 2026, in millions, on DFW's provisional figures. Each month comes from the report for that month; the link is to the latest one. (DFW Airport (September 2026 traffic report), Nov 2026)

All 2026 figures are DFW's provisional monthly counts of passengers arriving and departing. DFW publishes each month about six weeks after it ends, so October 2026 was not out when this page was reviewed. The fiscal-year total runs October to September and is not compared with calendar years. Carrier groups are DFW's own: American includes its regional partners as DFW groups them.

Which months and days are busiest at DFW?

Summer brings the most passengers to DFW and late winter the fewest. In 2025 every month except January was below the same month of 2024, while international traffic kept growing.

6.38m Jan 6.02m Feb 7.29m Mar 6.73m Apr 7.48m May 7.92m Jun 8.19m Jul 7.39m Aug 6.82m Sep 7.49m Oct 6.66m Nov 7.30m Dec
View data table
Passengers at DFW each month in 2025, in millions, on DFW's monthly reports. Each month comes from the report for that month; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
Jan6.38m
Feb6.02m
Mar7.29m
Apr6.73m
May7.48m
Jun7.92m
Jul8.19m
Aug7.39m
Sep6.82m
Oct7.49m
Nov6.66m
Dec7.30m
Passengers at DFW each month in 2025, in millions, on DFW's monthly reports. Each month comes from the report for that month; the link is to the latest one. (DFW Airport (December 2025 traffic report), 2026)

Monthly figures are DFW's count of passengers arriving and departing. The December shares of international passengers are for that month only, not the year.

How many people does DFW expect on its busiest days?

All figures in this part except the Thanksgiving 2023 count are DFW's projections made before the holidays, not counts. DFW calls passengers moving through its terminals customers. DFW does not publish daily passenger counts, so no actual busiest day is given.

How many DFW passengers fly internationally?

Most DFW passengers fly within the US, but international traffic is well above its 2019 level. In 2025 domestic numbers fell while international numbers rose, and that pattern has carried on into 2026.

8.75m 2018 9.58m 2019 3.42m 2020 6.12m 2021 9.80m 2022 11.33m 2023 12.43m 2024 12.65m 2025
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International passengers at DFW each calendar year, arriving and departing, in millions, on DFW's count. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. 2023 uses the revised figure from the December 2024 report.
PeriodValue
20188.75m
20199.58m
20203.42m
20216.12m
20229.80m
202311.33m
202412.43m
202512.65m
International passengers at DFW each calendar year, arriving and departing, in millions, on DFW's count. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. 2023 uses the revised figure from the December 2024 report. (DFW Airport (December 2025 traffic report), 2026)

DFW counts passengers on international flights, arriving and departing, as international. The FIS figure counts only arriving passengers processed by US customs, on fiscal years, so it is a different measure. The 2022 split comes from the December 2022 report, before DFW revised its 2022 total slightly.

Which airlines carry the most passengers at DFW?

DFW is American Airlines' home: the American carrier group carries more than four in five DFW passengers. Foreign airlines are growing fastest, while low-cost carriers have shrunk sharply since 2024.

  • American 70.78m
  • Non-Hub Carriers 5.97m
  • Low Cost Carriers 5.65m
  • Foreign Flag 3.14m
  • Other/Non Sched. 0.12m
DFW passengers by carrier group in 2025, in millions, on DFW's count of passengers arriving and departing. (DFW Airport (December 2025 traffic report), 2026)
  • Low Cost Carriers carried 5,648,469 passengers at DFW in 2025, down 17.0%; Non-Hub Carriers 5,972,966, down 2.1%; Foreign Flag airlines 3,139,139, up 8.1%; and Other/Non Sched. 119,694, up 20.1%. (DFW Airport (December 2025 traffic report), 2026)
  • From January to September 2026 the American group carried 52,677,230 passengers, down 0.9%; Non-Hub Carriers 4,620,812, up 3.7%; Low Cost Carriers 3,835,904, down 9.5%; Foreign Flag airlines 2,593,587, up 13.9%; and Other/Non Sched. 155,115, up 75.4%. (DFW Airport (September 2026 traffic report), Nov 2026)
  • The American group carried 71,908,767 passengers in 2024, up 6.7% on 67,423,747 in 2023. (DFW Airport (December 2024 traffic report), 2025)
  • It carried 61,745,572 passengers in 2022, up 13.7% on 54,282,627 in 2021. (DFW Airport (December 2022 traffic report), 2023)
  • In 2020 the American group carried 34,769,297 passengers, down 45.6%, and Foreign Flag airlines 507,840, down 71.6%; American had 88.0% of DFW passengers in December 2020, against 85.9% in December 2019. (DFW Airport (December 2020 traffic report), 2021)
  • In 2019 the American group carried 63,949,751 passengers, up 9.7% on 58,313,260 in 2018, and Foreign Flag airlines 1,847,249. (DFW Airport (December 2019 traffic report), 2020)
  • On BTS figures for US flights only, American carried 46,426 thousand passengers at DFW from September 2025 to August 2026, a 66.90% share; its regional Envoy Air had 7,488 thousand (10.79%), Frontier 3,668 thousand (5.29%), Delta 2,659 thousand (3.83%) and United 2,348 thousand (3.38%). (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: carrier shares), Nov 2026)
  • American runs more than 930 departures a day from DFW on average at peak times and carries an average of 100,000 customers on peak days, the airline said in December 2025. (American Airlines (DFW hub release, Dec 2025), Dec 2025)
  • American Airlines Group lists Dallas/Fort Worth among its nine hubs, and its head office is at 1 Skyview Drive in Fort Worth. (American Airlines Group (2025 Form 10-K), Feb 2026)
  • 31 passenger airlines and 19 cargo airlines served DFW in fiscal 2025. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)

DFW groups airlines into its own carrier groups and does not define them in its reports; Foreign Flag means non-US airlines. BTS counts enplaned passengers on US flights only, arriving and departing, and lists Envoy Air apart from American, so its shares are a different measure and are not compared with DFW's groups. American's figures are its own.

How many DFW passengers change planes?

  • American said DFW handles more than 30% of all its daily connecting customers, and that it was moving its DFW schedule from nine banks of flights to 13. (American Airlines (DFW hub release, Dec 2025), Dec 2025)
  • DFW's budget counted 53.2 million connecting passengers out of 86.9 million in FY2024, with 18.9 million starting their trip at DFW and 14.7 million ending it there. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • Its FY2025 outlook was 52.4 million connecting passengers out of 86.0 million, and the FY2026 budget assumed 53.4 million connecting, 19.1 million originating and 14.9 million destination passengers. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • Of the passengers who started their trip at DFW in 2024, 5.4 million travelled on business and 13.6 million for leisure, The Perryman Group says. (The Perryman Group (DFW economic impact report), Nov 2025)
  • In 2019 about 17.1 million passengers began their journey at DFW and almost 13.2 million ended it there, Perryman says. (The Perryman Group (DFW economic impact report), Nov 2025)

Originating and destination passengers are counted one way, so a local round trip counts once in each. The budget figures are fiscal years; FY2025 is an outlook and FY2026 a budget, not counts.

Where can you fly from DFW?

DFW serves close to 200 US destinations and more than 70 abroad, and its long-haul network keeps adding Asian and Middle Eastern cities. The busiest domestic routes go to other hubs and to leisure cities.

  1. 1 Chicago O'Hare 962.3k
  2. 2 Atlanta 962.1k
  3. 3 Los Angeles 954.9k
  4. 4 Denver 876.8k
  5. 5 New York LaGuardia 869.8k
  6. 6 Phoenix 836.8k
  7. 7 Las Vegas 821.9k
  8. 8 Orlando 800.8k
  9. 9 Seattle 796.0k
  10. 10 Miami 744.1k
Top 10 domestic destinations from DFW by passengers, September 2025 to August 2026, in thousands, on BTS figures for US airlines, one direction only. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: top destinations), Nov 2026)
  • DFW customers can choose from 193 domestic and 77 international nonstop destinations, the airport's fact page said in September 2026. (DFW Airport (Fast Facts page), Sep 2026)
  • In fiscal 2025 DFW served 191 domestic and 79 international destinations. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW's FY2026 budget said the airport would serve 264 destinations in 2025, including 73 international, and that it lies within a four-hour flight of nearly 98% of the US population. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • DFW served a total of 265 destinations around the world in 2022. (DFW Airport (2022 ACI ranking release), Apr 2023)
  • In fiscal 2019 DFW had direct flights to 258 destinations, 67 international and 191 domestic, which it said was more domestic destinations than any other airport in the world. (DFW Airport (FY2019 ESG report), Jun 2020)
  • DFW announced 28 new destinations in 2018. (DFW Airport (sixth terminal release, May 2019), May 2019)
  • EVA Air planned to start DFW's first nonstop service to Taipei on 3 October 2025, DFW said in April 2025. (DFW Airport (EVA Air release), Apr 2025)
  • Royal Jordanian planned to fly from DFW to Amman four times a week all year from May 2026, on a Boeing 787-8 with 270 seats. (DFW Airport (Royal Jordanian release), Sep 2025)
  • Cathay Pacific planned to fly from DFW to Hong Kong four times a week from 24 April 2025, on the A350-1000, bringing back a route without nonstop service since 2020. (DFW Airport (Cathay Pacific release), Sep 2024)
  • Fiji Airways planned three flights a week to Nadi from 10 December 2024 on an A350-900 with 301 economy and 33 business seats, its 24th international nonstop route. (DFW Airport (Fiji Airways release), Aug 2024)
  • On BTS figures for US airlines, Chicago O'Hare (962.28 thousand passengers) and Atlanta (962.08 thousand) were the top domestic destinations from DFW from September 2025 to August 2026, ahead of Los Angeles (954.93 thousand), which had 1,101.49 thousand a year earlier. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: top destinations), Nov 2026)
  • Las Vegas fell from 913.16 thousand to 821.86 thousand passengers between the two periods, while Orlando rose from 796.24 thousand to 800.82 thousand. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: top destinations), Nov 2026)

Destination counts depend on the date and season, and DFW's sources give different totals for different years; each is shown with its own date. New routes are as announced by DFW, with the planned start dates at the time. BTS route figures count passengers on US airlines from DFW to each airport, one way, and leave out foreign airlines and international flights.

How many flights does DFW handle?

DFW handles more than 2,000 takeoffs and landings a day, and its flight numbers passed the 2019 level in 2024. ACI World says movements were level in 2025.

681.3k 2015 672.7k 2016 654.3k 2017 667.2k 2018 720.0k 2019 514.7k 2020 651.9k 2021 656.7k 2022 689.6k 2023 743.2k 2024
View data table
Aircraft operations at DFW each calendar year, in thousands, on FAA tower (OPSNET) counts of takeoffs and landings, as compiled in DFW's Runway 18L/36R environmental assessment.
PeriodValue
2015681.3k
2016672.7k
2017654.3k
2018667.2k
2019720.0k
2020514.7k
2021651.9k
2022656.7k
2023689.6k
2024743.2k
Aircraft operations at DFW each calendar year, in thousands, on FAA tower (OPSNET) counts of takeoffs and landings, as compiled in DFW's Runway 18L/36R environmental assessment. (DFW Airport / FAA (Runway 18L/36R EA, operations), Sep 2025)

FAA OPSNET counts every takeoff and landing handled by the tower, including air taxi, general aviation and military flights, by calendar year. DFW's budget and ESG report count operations by fiscal year (October-September), ACI World counts movements for its rankings, and BTS counts only scheduled departures on US flights. These are different counts and are not compared. The FAA and EA figures for 2026 and 2027 are forecasts made in 2025.

How many passengers board flights at DFW?

On the FAA's count of passengers boarding, DFW has ranked second in the US, behind Atlanta, every year since 2020 except 2023, when it was third. Before the pandemic it was fourth.

29.0m 2013 30.8m 2014 31.6m 2015 31.3m 2016 31.8m 2017 32.8m 2018 35.8m 2019 18.6m 2020 30.0m 2021 35.3m 2022 39.2m 2023 42.4m 2024 41.3m 2025
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Enplanements at DFW each calendar year, in millions, on the FAA's final counts of passengers boarding. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
201329.0m
201430.8m
201531.6m
201631.3m
201731.8m
201832.8m
201935.8m
202018.6m
202130.0m
202235.3m
202339.2m
202442.4m
202541.3m
Enplanements at DFW each calendar year, in millions, on the FAA's final counts of passengers boarding. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. (FAA (CY2025 enplanements), Sep 2026)

Three different enplanement counts appear here and are never compared. The FAA counts revenue passengers boarding US and foreign airlines (ACAIS data) by calendar year; DFW's own statistics in its Runway 18L/36R environmental assessment count all enplaned passengers by calendar year; and DFW's budget counts enplanements by fiscal year. Enplanements are roughly half of DFW's total passengers, which count arrivals too. The Terminal Area Forecast figures are FAA forecasts.

How does DFW rank among the world's airports?

DFW is one of the four busiest airports in the world for passengers on ACI World's 2025 table, and second in North America behind Atlanta. It was tenth in the world in 2019.

  1. 1 Atlanta 106.3m
  2. 2 Dubai 95.2m
  3. 3 Tokyo Haneda 91.7m
  4. 4 Dallas Fort Worth 85.7m
  5. 5 Shanghai Pudong 85.0m
  6. 6 Chicago O'Hare 84.9m
  7. 7 London Heathrow 84.5m
  8. 8 Istanbul 84.4m
  9. 9 Guangzhou 83.6m
  10. 10 Denver 82.4m
The world's 10 busiest airports by passengers in 2025, in millions, on ACI World's final totals. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
  • ACI World ranked DFW fourth in the world for passengers in 2025, after third in 2024 and tenth in 2019; its 2025 total was 2.5% below 2024 and 14.1% above 2019. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
  • Atlanta led ACI World's 2025 passenger table with 106,302,208, ahead of Dubai with 95,192,160 and Tokyo Haneda with 91,679,814; Shanghai Pudong was fifth with 84,994,548. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
  • On aircraft movements, Chicago O'Hare was first in the world in 2025 with 857,392, Atlanta second with 807,625 and Denver fourth with 701,335. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
  • ACI-NA ranked DFW second in North America for passengers in 2025, behind Atlanta, and third for aircraft movements. (ACI-NA (2025 North American rankings), Jul 2026)
  • Further down ACI-NA's 2025 passenger table, Los Angeles had 73,709,594, JFK 62,629,455, Orlando 57,675,573, Miami 55,314,661, Las Vegas 55,030,375 and San Francisco 54,532,613. (ACI-NA (2025 North American rankings), Jul 2026)
  • DFW's fact page puts it 3rd in the world for operations and 4th for passengers. (DFW Airport (Fast Facts page), Sep 2026)
  • DFW said in April 2025 that ACI ranked it third in the world for passengers in 2024, with traffic 17 percent above 2019. (DFW Airport (2024 ACI ranking release), Apr 2025)
  • DFW said ACI ranked it the second-busiest airport in the world by passengers in 2021. (DFW Airport (2021 ACI ranking release), Apr 2022)
  • DFW said it was again the world's second-busiest airport by passengers in 2022, according to ACI. (DFW Airport (2022 ACI ranking release), Apr 2023)
  • OAG ranked DFW the second most connected airport in the world in its Top 50 International Megahubs 2022, up from 19th in 2019, DFW said. (DFW Airport (OAG Megahubs release), Oct 2022)

ACI World and ACI-NA rank airports on their own totals of passengers enplaned and deplaned; for DFW in 2025 both match DFW's own count. Ranks for 2021, 2022 and 2024 are as DFW reported them from ACI. ACI World ranks for 2020 and 2023 were not checked and are not given. OAG is a commercial data company, and its ranking is as DFW reported it.

How do passengers rate DFW?

  • DFW won ACI World's 2025 Airport Service Quality award for North American airports with over 40 million passengers, its fourth since 2022; nearly 707,000 surveys were completed worldwide in 2025. (DFW Airport (ASQ award release, Feb 2026), Feb 2026)
  • By March 2024 DFW had won ACI's customer service award for North America six times, in 2011, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023. (DFW Airport (ASQ award release, Mar 2024), Mar 2024)

The ASQ awards come from ACI World's passenger surveys. They are awards, not published scores.

How much cargo goes through DFW?

DFW is a large cargo airport for a passenger hub, handling well over half a million tons a year, and ACI-NA puts it in North America's top 10. Every producer counts cargo differently, so each figure below keeps its own unit and period.

4.30bn lb 2018 4.74bn lb 2019 4.52bn lb 2020 3.91bn lb 2021 4.27bn lb 2022 3.86bn lb 2023 3.75bn lb 2024 3.70bn lb 2025
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Landed weight of all-cargo aircraft at DFW each calendar year, in billions of pounds, on the FAA's final figures. This is the maximum landing weight of freighter aircraft, not cargo carried. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one.
PeriodValue
20184.30bn lb
20194.74bn lb
20204.52bn lb
20213.91bn lb
20224.27bn lb
20233.86bn lb
20243.75bn lb
20253.70bn lb
Landed weight of all-cargo aircraft at DFW each calendar year, in billions of pounds, on the FAA's final figures. This is the maximum landing weight of freighter aircraft, not cargo carried. Each year comes from the release for that year; the link is to the latest one. (FAA (CY2025 all-cargo landed weight), Sep 2026)

Cargo figures here use different units, periods and scopes and are not compared: ACI-NA in metric tons by calendar year; DFW in US (short) tons, by fiscal year in the ESG report and the environmental assessment and by calendar year in 2021; Perryman in tons for 2024, with its total left out because it does not match its own parts; BTS in pounds of freight and mail on US flights only; and the FAA in landed weight of freighter aircraft, which leaves out cargo in passenger aircraft. The 2038 figure is a DFW forecast.

Who handles cargo at DFW?

The number of cargo airlines differs by date and source. The 19th Street figures were the plan in April 2023.

How punctual are flights at DFW?

DFW is one of the less punctual big US airports, and the share of its departures leaving on time has slipped each year since 2023. Delays rise sharply in the summer months.

22.0% Jan 21.9% Feb 24.4% Mar 27.8% Apr 30.4% May 36.2% Jun 34.7% Jul 32.1% Aug 22.1% Sep 23.5% Oct 25.7% Nov 30.3% Dec
View data table
Share of departures by major US airlines at DFW delayed by 15 minutes or more each month in 2025, on BTS figures.
PeriodValue
Jan22.0%
Feb21.9%
Mar24.4%
Apr27.8%
May30.4%
Jun36.2%
Jul34.7%
Aug32.1%
Sep22.1%
Oct23.5%
Nov25.7%
Dec30.3%
Share of departures by major US airlines at DFW delayed by 15 minutes or more each month in 2025, on BTS figures. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: departure delays), Nov 2026)
  • Departures by major US airlines at DFW were on time 76% of the time in 2021, 75% in 2022 and 2023, 71% in 2024 and 69% in 2025. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: on-time), Nov 2026)
  • Arrivals were on time 78% of the time in 2021, 77% in 2022 and 2023, 74% in 2024 and 73% in 2025; from September 2025 to August 2026 arrivals were 76% on time, 15th of the major US airports, and departures 69%, 28th. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: on-time), Nov 2026)
  • 2.76% of flights were cancelled in 2025 and 2.61% from September 2025 to August 2026, against 1.55% in 2023. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: cancellations), Nov 2026)
  • Delayed arrivals were late by 94.76 minutes on average from September 2025 to August 2026, 30th of the major airports, and delayed departures by 72.16 minutes. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: delays), Nov 2026)
  • In August 2026, 29.01% of DFW departures by major US airlines were delayed, against 26.24% nationally. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: departure delays), Nov 2026)
  • Reporting airlines flew 315.9 thousand DFW flights in 2025 and 312.8 thousand from September 2025 to August 2026. (US DOT BTS (DFW snapshot: cancellations), Nov 2026)
  • In September 2025 hundreds of American's flights out of DFW were delayed or cancelled after a third party cut FAA fibre-optic cables, the airline says. (American Airlines Group (2025 Form 10-K), Feb 2026)

BTS figures cover domestic flights by US reporting airlines only; a flight is on time if it is less than 15 minutes late. Average delay counts delayed flights only. Ranks are among the 30 major US airports in BTS's DFW airport snapshot, which is reached by choosing DFW on the linked page. The 2026 column covers September 2025 to August 2026.

How many guns does TSA find at DFW?

TSA counts firearms found in carry-on bags at security checkpoints. No TSA airport table for the whole of 2025 had been published when this page was reviewed.

How big is DFW Airport?

DFW is a very large site, with seven runways and five terminals linked by the Skylink train. Four of its runways are 13,400 feet long.

  1. 1 17C/35C 13,400 ft
  2. 2 17R/35L 13,400 ft
  3. 3 18L/36R 13,400 ft
  4. 4 18R/36L 13,400 ft
  5. 5 13R/31L 9,300 ft
  6. 6 13L/31R 9,000 ft
  7. 7 17L/35R 8,500 ft
Length of DFW's seven runways, in feet, from the airport's fact page. (DFW Airport (Fast Facts page), Sep 2026)
  • DFW covers more than 26.9 square miles, with 17,183 acres of real property, five terminals, more than 160 gates and seven runways. (DFW Airport (Fast Facts page), Sep 2026)
  • DFW was dedicated in September 1973 and opened on 13 January 1974, with nine airlines. (DFW Airport (Fast Facts page), Sep 2026)
  • The five terminals total 6.7 million square feet of building space, with about 163 active boarding gates, 330 ticketing positions and 15 security checkpoints, eight with TSA expedited screening. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • Terminal D has 2.3 million square feet and 30 gates: 16 leased preferentially to American, five on a short-term permit to American and nine for common use. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • Runway 17R/35L is 200 feet wide; its 2024 rehabilitation took more than 350,000 work hours, replaced more than 2,700 runway lights with LEDs and was helped by a $45 million FAA grant. (DFW Airport (Runway 17R/35L release), Oct 2024)
  • Runway 17C/35C handles about 40% of arrivals into DFW; its $133 million rehabilitation, finished in 2019, used 220,000 tons of asphalt. (DFW Airport (Runway 17C/35C release), Feb 2019)
  • DFW has more than 20 lounges and premium spaces, and expects lounge space to grow by more than 45%, from nearly 162,000 to more than 234,000 square feet. (DFW Airport (lounges release), Sep 2026)
  • DFW opened a 90,000 square foot Central Receiving and Distribution Center in September 2026, which it calls the industry's largest airport CRDC. (DFW Airport (distribution centre release), Sep 2026)
  • DFW bought the 811-room Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport hotel for $194 million; the purchase closed on 30 October 2026. (DFW Airport (Hyatt Regency release), Nov 2026)
  • DFW's new East Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Station has 10 apparatus bays and is part of more than $130 million invested in rescue and firefighting infrastructure, with more than $75 million of federal funding. (DFW Airport (fire station release), May 2026)

The fact page gives "160+ gates" and the budget book about 163 active gates; both are DFW's figures at different dates. Building space (6.7 million square feet) is a different measure from the heated terminal space in the environment section.

How do passengers get to and around DFW?

  • Skylink, the train between terminals, has 4.81 miles of elevated track on each loop, runs at up to 37 mph with over 99% uptime, and had travelled over 65 million miles by its 20th anniversary on 21 May 2025. (DFW Airport (Skylink at 20 feature), May 2025)
  • Skylink carries about 150,000 passengers and employees a day, 55 million a year, on 16 two-car trains that run about two minutes apart. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • Three rail lines reach DFW terminals: DART's Orange Line at Terminal A, and DART's Silver Line and Trinity Metro's TEXRail at Terminal B. (DFW Airport (public transit page), Nov 2026)
  • DART's Silver Line opened on 25 October 2025, running over 26 miles with 10 stations from Plano to DFW, every 30 minutes at weekday peaks and every 60 minutes at other times. (DART (Silver Line launch release), Oct 2025)
  • TEXRail, a 27-mile line from downtown Fort Worth, began serving Terminal B on 10 January 2019; DFW's station cost $39 million and took 19 months to build, and the DART Orange Line has served DFW since 2014. (DFW Airport (TEXRail release), Jan 2019)
  • 25% of DFW parkers book online in advance; prebooked parking grew from 45,000 customers in its first year to one million by February 2026. (DFW Airport (prebooked parking release), Feb 2026)
  • The 1.65-mile East-West Connector road cost $30.8 million, about 80 percent of it provided through the North Central Texas Council of Governments. (DFW Airport (East-West Connector release), Jun 2026)
  • New International Parkway bridges into Terminals A, B and C used 141 beams with a combined length of 15,142 feet, over 2.8 miles, weighing more than 13 million pounds, lifted by 18 cranes over 12 shifts. (DFW Airport (International Parkway release), Jul 2025)

Skylink ridership includes employees. Rail details are from the airport's and DART's own pages.

What is being built at DFW?

DFW is building a sixth terminal for American, rebuilding Terminal C and adding gates on piers at Terminals A and C. The first new gates opened in 2026, and Terminal F is due to open in stages from 2027.

  • Terminal F 31 gates
  • Piers at Terminals A and C (net) 9 gates
Where DFW plans its 40 net new gates, from its FY2025 ESG report (September 2026). These are plans, not open gates. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW plans 40 net new gates, 31 in the new Terminal F and nine net on two piers in Terminals A and C, its FY2025 ESG report said in September 2026. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW's FY2026 budget, from August 2025, scheduled the first phase of Terminal F to open in 2027 and the final phase in 2030, with a Terminal F budget of $4.0 billion before inflation. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • In May 2025 DFW and American extended their Use and Lease Agreement to 2043 as part of the Terminal F expansion. (DFW Airport (Terminal F release, May 2025), May 2025)
  • The largest of the six Terminal F modules was 278 feet long and 136 feet wide and weighed 3,320 tons; the last was moved on 8 August 2025. (DFW Airport (Terminal F modules release), Aug 2025)
  • DFW put the rebuild of Terminal C at about $3 billion in August 2024, with completion expected in 2030; its DFW Forward programme then had more than 180 projects. (DFW Airport (Terminal C release, Aug 2024), Aug 2024)
  • Nine new and rebuilt gates opened in Terminal C in June 2026, five rebuilt and four new, in about 115,000 square feet of new space, the first gates to open under the capital plan. (DFW Airport (Terminal C gates release), Jun 2026)
  • Gates A10, A11, A13 and A15 opened in October 2026 as the first four of 10 in the Terminal A pier expansion, which adds 140K square feet and a net gain of five gates. (DFW Airport (Terminal A gates release), Oct 2026)
  • The 10-year Use and Lease Agreement signed with American in May 2023 included $4.8 billion of pre-approved capital investment, an estimated $2.72 billion of it for the Central Terminal Area. (DFW Airport (Use and Lease Agreement release), May 2023)
  • DFW finished its third End-Around Taxiway, in the southwest, in October 2026, and the FAA has committed $180 million to the programme. (DFW Airport (End-Around Taxiway release, Oct 2026), Oct 2026)
  • The FAA gave DFW $115 million for the northeast End-Around Taxiway, opened in May 2022, and a $28.8 million payment toward the southwest one in 2023. (DFW Airport (End-Around Taxiway release, Mar 2023), Mar 2023)
  • DFW's electric Central Utility Plant is a $234 million project with more than $116 million from federal sources, designed to cut the plant's water use by 29%. (DFW Airport (Central Utility Plant release), Aug 2023)
  • The Perryman Group estimates DFW's construction so far has generated $4.369 billion of gross product and 39,207 job-years in North Central Texas, rising to $15.673 billion and 140,652 job-years at maturity. (The Perryman Group (DFW economic impact report), Nov 2025)

Gate counts and Terminal F figures are DFW's newest plans, with their dates; earlier plans gave smaller numbers and are not shown. Opening years are plans. The capital plan, the 2023 lease investment and the Terminal C cost are DFW estimates at the dates shown. Perryman's figures at maturity are projections, and job-years are not permanent jobs.

What is DFW worth to the Texas economy?

DFW supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in North Texas on The Perryman Group's estimates for the airport, and air cargo and visitor spending account for most of its effect. These are modelled figures that include knock-on spending, not counts.

  1. 1 Visitor spending 187,882
  2. 2 Air cargo operations 123,719
  3. 3 Air cargo domestic 118,413
  4. 4 Air cargo import/export 87,577
  5. 5 Air carrier operations 66,769
  6. 6 Concession operations 48,189
  7. 7 Tenants 29,635
  8. 8 Terminal operations 22,091
Jobs supported by DFW in North Central Texas by activity, on fiscal 2024 activity, from The Perryman Group's report for the airport. Figures include indirect and induced jobs. (The Perryman Group (DFW impact by component), Nov 2025)

The Perryman Group's study was commissioned by DFW and uses an input-output model, so its figures include indirect and induced effects. The region is the 16-county North Central Texas area; the Texas figures include it. Dollar figures are in each study year's dollars. DFW's fact page rounds some of these figures differently, and this page uses the report's tables.

How is DFW funded and run?

DFW pays its way from airline charges and non-airline income such as parking, and its costs are rising fast as it borrows for Terminal F. Dallas and Fort Worth own the airport and share in its tax revenue.

  1. 1 Parking and ground transport $273.2m
  2. 2 Concessions $138.4m
  3. 3 Commercial development $87.5m
  4. 4 Interest income and other $69.1m
  5. 5 Rental car $55.5m
DFW non-airline revenue by source in the FY2026 budget, in millions of dollars, from DFW's budget presentation. These are budget figures, not results. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget presentation), Aug 2025)
  • DFW's FY2026 budget, presented in August 2025, assumed 87.4 million passengers, 1.6% more than the FY2025 outlook, and an expenditure budget of $1.4 billion, up 11.4%. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget presentation), Aug 2025)
  • The budget set airline costs at $756.6 million and cost per enplanement at $16.99, up $2.43 or 16.7% on the FY2025 outlook. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget presentation), Aug 2025)
  • Non-airline revenues were $563.1 million in FY2024 and budgeted at $623.7 million in FY2026, led by parking and ground transport at $273.2 million and concessions at $138.4 million. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget presentation), Aug 2025)
  • Operating expenses were $674.3 million in FY2024 and budgeted at $756.9 million in FY2026; gross debt service rose from $559.6 million to a budgeted $684.9 million, and total spending within the rate base from $1,233.9 million to $1,441.8 million. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget presentation), Aug 2025)
  • DFW paid $29.8 million in tax sharing to its host cities in 2024, up 8.2%: $17.1 million to Dallas and $12.7 million to Fort Worth, which own the airport in a 7/11ths and 4/11ths split. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget presentation), Aug 2025)
  • Total revenues were $1,365.0 million in FY2024, $1,441.3 million in the FY2025 outlook and $1,594.0 million in the FY2026 budget, up 10.6%; the terminal cost centre was budgeted at $714.1 million and the airfield at $236.8 million. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • DFW collects a $4.50 Passenger Facility Charge from most enplaned revenue passengers; its re-baselined financial plan had expected FY2026 airline costs of $753.2 million and a cost per enplanement of $17.79. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • The FY2026 budget added a net 56 positions at a cost of about $6.1 million; the Operations division has 952 positions, Revenue and Customer Experience 495 and Development and Infrastructure 431. (DFW Airport (FY2026 budget book), Aug 2025)
  • DFW reported a record $606 million of non-airline revenue in FY2025, an AA bond rating upgrade from Kroll Bond Rating Agency, 85% funding of its defined benefit pension plan and 43 disaster recovery tests, up from 25 in 2024. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW's Total Recordable Incident Rate for its own staff was 5.05 in FY2025, its lowest in five years, and staff logged 115,487 learning hours. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW's 2025-2029 strategic plan aims to keep airline cost per enplanement at or below $20 by FY2029. (DFW Airport (2025-2029 strategic plan), Jan 2025)

DFW's fiscal year runs October to September. FY2024 figures are actuals, FY2025 figures in the budget are an outlook made before the year closed, and FY2026 figures are a budget; the FY2026 passenger assumption was a forecast, and the September 2026 report gives the actual. The budget presentation counts non-airline revenue gross for the DFW cost centre, while the budget book nets out revenue sharing, so the two differ. The $606 million is DFW's FY2025 actual and "record" is its own word.

How green is DFW?

DFW has cut its own emissions by more than four fifths since 2010 and runs on renewable electricity, and it aims for net zero by 2030. Its neighbours sent thousands of noise complaints in 2025.

  • DFW's Scope 1 and 2 emissions in FY2025 were 82% below its 2010 baseline, and 100% of the electricity it used came from renewable sources. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW has committed to reach net zero for its own emissions by 2030, twenty years ahead of the aviation sector's 2050 target. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW is accredited at Level 4+ of Airport Carbon Accreditation, the programme's list shows. (Airport Carbon Accreditation (accredited airports), Nov 2026)
  • DFW says it was the first airport in North America to reach carbon-neutral status and the first in the world certified at Level 4+ Transition. (DFW Airport (Earth Day 2024 release), Apr 2024)
  • DFW cut carbon emissions per passenger by 5.4% in fiscal 2018 and by 83% from 2010, reaching its 2020 goal two years early, Airport Carbon Accreditation reported. (Airport Carbon Accreditation (DFW case study), Apr 2019)
  • As much as two-thirds of DFW's own emissions come from natural gas boilers in its Central Utility Plant, which heat over 6.5 million square feet of terminal space. (DFW Airport (2025-2029 strategic plan), Jan 2025)
  • 9,047 US tons of municipal solid waste were diverted from landfill in FY2025, a 19.2% diversion rate. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW saved 109 million gallons of drinking water by using non-potable sources in FY2025 and used 16.9 gallons per passenger, its fifth-lowest rate on record. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)
  • DFW received 15,304 noise complaints in 2025, 96% of them sent with automated buttons; its noise monitoring is growing to about 34 monitors across nine cities and three counties. (DFW Airport (FY2025 ESG report), Sep 2026)

Scope 1 and 2 cover emissions from DFW's own operations and the energy it buys, not aircraft. The ESG report covers DFW's fiscal year from October to September, except the noise complaints, which are for calendar 2025 and count submissions, not people. The per-passenger cut reported in 2019 is an intensity measure, not total emissions. "First" claims are DFW's own.

Glossary

DFW
The IATA code for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, owned by the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth and run by the DFW Airport Board.
Total passengers
DFW's count of passengers enplaned and deplaned, so a passenger who changes planes counts twice.
Enplanements
Passengers boarding flights. The FAA, DFW's statistics and DFW's budget each count them differently.
Fiscal year
DFW's financial year, October to September. FY2026 ran from October 2025 to September 2026.
Carrier group
DFW's grouping of airlines in its traffic reports: American, Low Cost Carriers, Non-Hub Carriers, Foreign Flag (non-US airlines) and Other/Non Sched.
Connecting passenger
A passenger changing planes at DFW. Originating passengers start their trip at DFW and destination passengers end it there.
FIS
Federal Inspection Services, the customs and immigration facility where international arrivals are processed.
CBP
US Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency that runs arrival checks at the FIS.
ACI
Airports Council International, the trade body for airports. ACI World publishes global rankings and runs the ASQ survey; ACI-NA covers North America.
ASQ
Airport Service Quality, ACI World's passenger survey and awards programme.
FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration, the US aviation regulator, which publishes enplanement and cargo landed weight rankings.
OPSNET
The FAA's Operations Network, which records takeoffs and landings handled by air traffic control towers.
TAF
The FAA's Terminal Area Forecast of passengers and operations at each US airport.
BTS
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics at the US Department of Transportation, which publishes on-time, route and carrier data for US airlines.
TSA
The Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers and bags at US airports.
Landed weight
The maximum certificated landing weight of aircraft that land, used by the FAA to rank cargo airports. It is not the weight of cargo carried.
US ton
A short ton of 2,000 pounds. A metric ton is 1,000 kilograms.
CPE
Cost per enplanement: the airport's passenger airline revenue divided by enplanements, a measure of what airlines pay to use DFW.
PFC
Passenger Facility Charge, a fee US airports collect through ticket prices to pay for approved projects.
Use and Lease Agreement
The contract between DFW and its airlines that sets charges and pre-approves capital projects.
End-Around Taxiway
A taxiway that takes aircraft around the end of a runway, so they do not have to cross it.
Skylink
DFW's automated train linking all five terminals airside, inside security.
DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which runs the Orange and Silver Line trains to DFW.
TEXRail
Trinity Metro's commuter rail line from downtown Fort Worth to DFW Terminal B.
Airport Carbon Accreditation
ACI's programme that certifies how airports measure and cut carbon emissions, with levels up to 4+ Transition.
Scope 1 and 2
Emissions from an organisation's own operations (Scope 1) and from the energy it buys (Scope 2).
Job-years
One job for one year. Construction impacts are given in job-years, not permanent jobs.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from DFW Airport's monthly traffic reports from 2019 to 2026, its fact page, ESG reports, strategic plan, FY2026 budget documents, environmental assessments and press releases, The Perryman Group's economic impact report for DFW, ACI World, ACI-NA, the FAA, the US Department of Transportation's BTS, TSA, American Airlines, DART and Airport Carbon Accreditation. Each figure links to the body that produced it, with the date. DFW's total passengers by calendar year are the main series, using the newest edition of each December report; fiscal-year figures are labelled as such. FAA enplanements, DFW's own enplanement counts and budget enplanements are different measures and are never charted or compared together. Cargo is given in each producer's own unit and period. Busy-day figures, budgets, the FAA forecast, gate counts and building plans are labelled as forecasts or plans, with who made them and when. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.