Construction on DFW Airport’s Sixth Terminal Could Start as Early as February

DFW International Airport is laying the groundwork to begin construction on its long-awaited sixth terminal as early as next month.

At a board committee meeting Tuesday, Tammy Huddleston , DFW Airport’s vice president of design, code and construction presented a contract for the construction of Terminal F and its Skylink station for up to $914 million . The contract is approval Thursday at the airport’s full board meeting.

“It’s probably the premier design-build construction project in the country that we’re going to see over the next few years,” said Raj Narayanan , DFW Airport board member and CEO and managing partner of Aerospace Quality Research and Development at the board committee meeting on Tuesday.

Terminal F incorporates modular construction and features 15 narrow body contact gates, as outlined in documents from DFW Airport. In a collaborative agreement signed in May, DFW Airport and American Airlines committed to $4.8 billion in expansions, allocating $1.6 billion for the construction of the new terminal.

The initial phase focuses on the addition of 15 new gates to Terminal F. However, DFW CEO Sean Donohue revealed in May that the airport is surpassing its initial goal by reaching 24 gates through pier expansions connecting existing terminals and creating additional aircraft spots in those areas.

The construction of the new Skylink station will integrate with the existing guideway, providing access to Terminal F. In 2019, American and DFW reached a tentative agreement to build the $3 billion Terminal F, positioning the airline for potential future growth. There is also the prospect of Southwest Airlines utilizing some gates at DFW Airport, as the Dallas-based airline expressed interest in November, coinciding with the expiration of the Wright Amendment in 2025.

The completion of Terminal F construction is anticipated by the end of 2026. Concurrently, DFW is undergoing renovations in Terminals A and C. Terminal C’s revitalization will encompass four of the nine new gates, with the remaining five allocated to Terminal A during its overhaul. The airport’s expansion will unfold in phases, involving three to four stages of “tear down and rebuild,” as indicated by Donohue in May. In October, DFW initiated the Terminal C plan by renovating nearby parking garages.