1/13/1974: First Commercial Flight at Dallas Fort Worth Airport
After 50 years, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has grown to become one of the world's biggest and busiest airports.
After 50 years, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has grown to become one of the world's biggest and busiest airports.
DALLAS — Today, in 1974, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) celebrated the arrival of its first commercial flights, just four months after its inauguration. American Airlines (AA) flight 341 from New York, with stops in Memphis and Little Rock, was the inaugural flight at this state-of-the-art facility.
While Dallas had its airport, Love Field, since 1917, Fort Worth established its Municipal Airport in 1925. To create a shared aviation hub, Dallas officials proposed a joint facility between the two cities in 1927.
The idea was to construct it in a central location that would cater to the needs of both cities. Unfortunately, Fort Worth declined the offer, resulting in Dallas and Fort Worth maintaining their separate airfields.
In 1961, the possibility of a joint venture between Dallas and Fort Worth was revisited when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declined further investment in their airports. By 1964, the federal government issued a demand for the two cities to reach an agreement on the location of the new airport. If they couldn't come to a consensus, the government would decide on their behalf.
Construction of DFW Regional Airport began in earnest in 1969, and a grand opening ceremony took place from September 20–23, 1973. The highlight of the event was the historic arrival of the supersonic Concorde in the United States. An Air France (AF) jet, flying from Caracas to Paris, made a special touchdown for the ceremony.
Concorde later became a regular visitor at DFW, serving flights from Washington Dulles (IAD) between January 1979 and June 1980. Braniff International Airways (BN) operated British Airways (BA) and Air France (AF) supersonic jets.
In 1985, the name of the airport was changed from DFW Regional to DFW International.
American Airlines, the airport's largest operator, inaugurated its first hub at the airport on June 11, 1981. AA's DFW operation currently stands as the second-largest airline hub globally, trailing behind Delta Air Line's (DL) hub in Atlanta (ATL).
In May 2023, AA and DFW resumed their plans for the construction of a sixth terminal. This development is part of a comprehensive improvement project, totaling nearly US$5 billion, aimed at enhancing the facilities of the airport, which last year ranked as the fifth-busiest passenger airport globally and second-busiest in the US.
In addition, DFW may see the introduction of electric air taxis by the 2040s. Last year, the airport signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OverAir, a company specializing in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, to explore the potential operation of these vehicles in the region.
Featured Image: DFW covers more than 26.9 square miles. Photo: DFW Airport
.webp)
David H. Stringer, the History Editor for AIRWAYS Magazine, has chronicled the story of the commercial aviation industry with his airline history articles that have appeared in AIRWAYS over two decades. Here, for the first time, is a compilation of those articles.
Subjects A through C are presented in this first of three volumes. Covering topics such as the airlines of Alaska at the time of statehood and Canada's regional airlines of the 1960s, the individual histories of such carriers as Allegheny, American, Braniff, and Continental are also included in Volume One. Get your copy today!
