D/FW Airport plans for international expansion
Dallas Business Journal by Matt Joyce, Staff Writer
Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 2:30pm CDT
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport CEO Jeff Fegan says the airport is likely to add 26 new international destinations served by eight new airlines in the next five years
Matt Joyce
Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport* * is planning for significant growth in international destinations in the coming decade, a change that could position it to be one of a few “global portals” in the world.
When it comes to international flying, D/FW Airport currently hosts 12 airlines that serve 48 international destinations.
Airport CEO Jeff Fegan said the airport’s projection for the most-likely growth scenario over the next five years includes adding 26 new international destinations served by eight new airlines. That includes direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Istanbul, Lima, Quito, Bogota and other cities.
The low-growth scenario envisions 18 new international destinations served by six new airlines, while the high-growth scenario envisions 35 new international destinations served by 10 new airlines, Fegan said.
“These are all markets that we’ve had discussions with, or we’ve had indications from airlines, or from our outside experts that these are markets that can be supported,” Fegan told the D/FW Airport board of directors during a recent annual retreat.
Mike Boyd, aviation consultant and chairman of Boyd Group International, made a presentation to the board during its retreat. He described the industry as developing toward "global portals" that serve at least 80 or 90 international destinations, while also providing enough connectivity to domestic destinations to meet market demands.
“The idea that being a businessman coming from Shanghai, going to Sao Paulo, where is he going to connect? And how do you make enough connectivity to smaller markets? It’s called a global portal,” Boyd said.
Dubai, with 120 to 130 global destinations, is the world’s only global portal at present, Boyd said. But airports in the United States, particularly Houston, Atlanta and D/FW, are competing for the same kind of business in North America.
“You do have competition for global portals that are going to move people from one continent to another continent over a central spot,” Boyd told the D/FW Airport board. “That’s going to be the name of the game for the future.”
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