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Largest In The World?

10.15.2025

At least one airline believes Dallas-Firth Worth International Airport is on path to become the largest airport in the world. Currently, the world’s third busiest airport, DFW is undergoing a wave of ambitious construction to keep up with demand.

Critical Mass

The sheer volume of travel through Dallas-Fort Worth indeed requires attention, and thankfully construction is in motion, with even bigger plans for more. In addition to the $3 billion dollar build already underway in DFW’s A and C Terminals, Terminal F is poised for an additional major project, driven largely by the ambitious strategy of American Airlines:

Dallas Fort Worth is the world’s third-busiest airport by passenger traffic, according to Airports Council International, serving nearly 82 million travelers annually and housing 28 airlines.…DFW is American’s largest and most critical hub, and with this expanded plan for Terminal F, DFW has a clear path to become the largest airline hub in the world,” said American Airlines CEO Robert Isom in the release. “Terminal F will elevate our customer experience in a big way, providing customers with a fantastic new facility and state-of-the-art amenities.” The project is part of the airport’s ongoing DFW Forward capital plan, with a total of more than $12 billion in improvements and expansions either planned or underway, per the airport.

The new construction plans at DFW are sure to keep builders hopping for quite some years, as reported by Julie Strupp at Construction Dive:

  • Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is expanding the scope of its new Terminal F, bringing the cost of the project to $4 billion, the airport announced on May 1. American Airlines will occupy the entire building.
  • The new plan is to more than double the number of gates at DFW’s sixth terminal to 31, add facilities to grow international operations, expand customer amenities, build a parking garage and create a single building for passenger check-in, per the release. Customers will be able to move between terminals via a new Skylink station.
  • American Airlines cited a positive long-term outlook for growth in passengers and of the North Texas region as the impetus for the expansion, according to a news release from the airline. The original Terminal F work, which broke ground in 2024 and was priced at $1.6 billion, is slated to wrap in 2027, with the newly added project components planned to come online in additional phases.

Not a Texan? No worries: Texas is not having all the fun when it comes to expanding and modernizing airports.Propelled by the sheer need to elevate our aging travel infrastructure, airport builds are going strong across the country. In fact, most states have at least one project in action to accommodate more people, more efficiently, and more sustainably.Ambitious construction at airports includes work on at least 44 airports: “…Some receiving new/expanded terminal facilities, other projects focusing on improving passenger experience, additional jobs will improve access, roadways, and transportation, some work will refurbish traffic control towers, several projects aim to increase terminal sustainability, and a final focus is on improving airport access to smaller communities….” Perhaps the most extensive construction, (or at least the most expensive) is at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where an eye-popping $19 billion makeover is underway. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides a map of all the airport builds currently underway across the country. Many are strategically aimed at both improved functionality and sustainability. For example, plans for the $3 billion reconfiguration of Lambert international Airport in St Louis involve: “A single, consolidated terminal with 62 gates — up from the current 54 gates across two terminals — that has 60% more concession and retail space and 6,000 more parking spaces.” (On a side note, travelers passing through Lambert International can enjoy a local brew at USA Today’s top pick for best airport bar. Indeed, adding amenities of all kinds is high on the list for airports as they modernize, though so far, no U.S. airport is offering an amenity like Tokyo’s soak in a natural hot spring.)

Ready for Take Off?

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