Dallas‑Fort Worth International Airport announced a major construction milestone on November 3: six huge prefabricated modules were lifted into place along the existing Skylink guideway to form the future Terminal F Skylink station. The modules, each weighing between 210 and 310 tons, were assembled at ground level and hoisted overnight, an approach that minimized disruption to the active people‑mover system.
Why the new station matters
The new station will serve DFW’s sixth terminal, expanding the airport’s capacity to handle the growing number of travelers passing through the Dallas‑Fort Worth metro area. When completed, Terminal F will feature 31 gates—more than double the original 15‑gate plan announced in November 2024—and will host American Airlines’ domestic and international operations, wide‑body aircraft, and a full suite of passenger‑processing facilities.
Progress on other projects
Terminal F’s first 15 gates are slated to open in 2027, with the full gate complement expected later in the decade. The airport has already opened new gates at Terminal A and finished a third end‑around taxiway in October, allowing aircraft to bypass active runways and reducing taxi time by an average of four minutes per flight on those routes.
In addition, DFW announced that flights began using four new gates at Terminal A (A10, A11, A13, and A15) in late October, the first of ten gates planned for a 140,000‑square‑foot pier expansion. The airport expects the remainder of that project to be ready for the winter holiday travel season.
Funding and long‑term outlook
The $4 billion Terminal F program is part of DFW Forward, the airport’s roughly $12 billion capital plan covering terminal upgrades, airfield improvements, and roadway projects. In a recent fiscal planning document, DFW projected passenger traffic of 101 million for fiscal 2029 and 105 million for fiscal 2030, up from a budgeted 87.4 million in fiscal 2026. While these figures are estimates, they illustrate the airport’s confidence that the region’s travel demand will continue to rise.
What’s next?
With the six Skylink modules now in place, crews will still need to structurally connect and integrate the sections before the station can open to the public. The airport says the work will continue through 2026 and into 2027, aiming to have the new station operational in time for the next wave of terminal openings.
Travelers can look forward to a smoother experience once the new gates, expanded Skylink service, and additional taxiways are fully operational, reducing bottlenecks between aircraft, gates, and connecting flights.
Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.
