May 01--Dallas/Fort Worth Airport plans to lower landing fees for airlines for the rest of its fiscal year because it has generated $13.5 million more in revenues than it had projected.
The airport staff told board members that it expects to reduce the landing fees by $9 million for June through September. Fees would drop by 69 cents to $2.36 per 1,000 pounds of maximum gross landing weight of an aircraft.
About $4.5 million of the additional revenues came from one-time rental and land impact fees from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority for the construction of a rail line into Terminal A.
With the extra revenues, the airport's finance committee approved five projects that cost $3.6 million, including tearing down a building formerly used by Sky Chefs. The demolition, which will cost $1.8 million, had been trimmed from the budget last summer.
Other projects include demolishing guideways and structures related to the airport's old Airtrans people mover system and pavement repairs to International Parkway and service roads.
The board also received a briefing about the TEX Rail project that would bring rail service from Fort Worth into the airport's north entrance.
John Terrell, DFW's vice president of commercial development, said there will be two stations on airport property, one in Grapevine and one at Terminal B. Although the project is still in the planning stages, Terrell said he expects to have a binding agreement with the T's board for the rail project with the hope it will open by 2016.
DART is expected to open its rail line into the airport in 2014.
Copyright 2013 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
