McKinney will soon break ground on a $72 million expansion project at the city’s airport after the City Council on Tuesday gave the final stamp needed to add a passenger terminal for commercial service, despite some pushback from residents.
“We are cleared for takeoff,” Mayor George Fuller said in a statement.
Some city leaders hope to make the airport a regional alternative to DFW International Airport and Love Field, and hope the expansion will become an economic beacon.
Airport officials are in discussions with two budget airlines about operating in McKinney, but airport director Ken Carley has declined to identify the carriers because of nondisclosure agreements.
Construction at the McKinney National Airport is expected to begin next month, with commercial flights anticipated by late 2026.
According to a 2024 economic impact report, the airport currently generates over $299 million annually for McKinney and the surrounding region. With the addition of the passenger terminal and other investments, the airport’s economic impact is expected to grow to another $400 million annually, according to a statement from the city.
Airport supporters in McKinney, about 35 miles northeast of DFW and Love Field, hope the expansion will connect the northern sector of Dallas-Fort Worth to another option for travel. The region is a hub for air travel and home to American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, as well as one of the busiest airports in the world. DFW is also expanding with a $12 billion plan to add or refurbish 68 gates.
“We’re not just thinking about today’s concerns or next year’s budget cycle, but the enormous benefits of the airport that will outlast our terms in office, will outlast the latest political debate,” Fuller said at Tuesday’s meeting when they approved funding and construction contracts.
“What we build today is for our children and grandchildren,” he said.
The city is moving forward with the project despite two failed bond elections meant to fund expansion. In 2023, McKinney residents rejected a $200 million bond to fund improvements and projects at the airport that included a commercial air service terminal building. In 2015, voters decided against a $50 million measure.
The terminal project includes a 45,000-square-foot facility with three gates, which could later expand to five, city officials have said. Initial plans estimate 200,000 passengers at the airport in the first year of passenger service, with about three daily departures. By year five, up to 1 million passengers could be served annually at the airport, also identified by its airport code TKI.
The city on Tuesday approved a $58 million contract with Swinerton, a California-based construction company, to build the east side infrastructure at the airport. The city also approved more than $3 million for contracts for engineering, architecture and other services, including a $2.8 million contract with engineering firm Garver.
About $45 million in funding for the expansion’s construction contract will come from the sales-tax funded McKinney Community and Economic Development Corporations. Money for the contracts will also come from the city’s utility construction fund and incremental tax revenue generated in an area that includes the airport.
Airport funding has also come from state, federal and county investments, Fuller said at the council meeting, and some projects at the airport are eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“This is not all on the backs of McKinney taxpayers,” he said at Tuesday’s council meeting, one of his last as mayor.
Council members Patrick Cloutier and Justin Beller voted against the funding and awarding the construction contract.
After all contracts were approved, the council chambers filled with cheers and clapping.
Some McKinney residents and council candidates have opposed city leaders’ support of its expansion, saying two failed bond elections show residents’ concern for the multimillion dollar price tag.
Airport expansion has become a key issue in city politics and took a central role in McKinney’s May 3 election.
Bill Cox and Scott Sanford will compete in a runoff election to replace Fuller. Sanford has called for a halt to airport expansion to evaluate its return on investment and re-engage the public. Cox, endorsed by Fuller, said he’d try to make the most out of the city’s investment.
Ernest Lynch and Jim Garrison will face off again for the at-large council seat to replace Charlie Philips. Garrison is in favor of expanding the airport with commercial service. Lynch said he needs to review studies and familiarize himself with negotiations, but will listen to “the voters and facts,” he said at a debate before the May 3 election.
Voters can cast their ballots in McKinney’s runoff on June 7.
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