On 30 March, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and US Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg celebrated the ground-breaking of the southwest phase of the airport’s End Around Taxiway (EAT) programme.
At this event, Buttigieg announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would provide 28.8 million USD towards the construction of the southwest EAT.
This will be DFW’s third EAT, following the completion of its southeast phase in 2008 and the opening of its northeast EAT in May 2022.
These EATs allow arriving aircraft to taxi around DFW’s active runways, rather than wait to cross them.
This system improves safety by eliminating the need to cross active runways, while also enhancing operational efficiency, generating aircraft operating cost savings, and reducing passenger travel times.
Indeed, by avoiding aircraft stoppages, EATs lead to a decrease in taxi times by an average of four minutes per flight.
DFW Chief Executive Officer Sean Donohue said:Safety is the No. 1 priority across the aviation industry and here at DFW, and we greatly appreciate the federal support in continuing to invest in our infrastructure and modernisation of the airfield.
The southwest EAT project is scheduled for completion in 2025 and is a significant part of DFW’s 10-year Capital Infrastructure Plan.
