In a series of meetings this week, representatives of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport will detail how tough the coronavirus pandemic has been for business.
The airport board meets in committees on Tuesday and as a full board on Thursday, which is the first day of the new fiscal year for the airport.
Agendas for the committee meetings spell out some of the massive financial losses the airport has taken during 2020.
For example, in 2019 DFW Airport brought in $163 million in parking revenue. Through the end of August 2020, the airport collected $95 million. That represents a 42% loss in parking revenue.
Concessions sales in the airport’s five terminals are also way down. In 2019, the airport generated $85.9 million in sales. Through August 2020, that amount had dropped to $57.4 million -- down 34%. Four concessions operators in the airport have already closed, according to information provided in Tuesday’s agenda – a GNC in Terminal A, and Southwest News, Ertekin Fashions and Dylan’s Candy Bar in Terminal D.
The co-owner of Brewed, a coffee shop in Terminal D, said the last seven months have been a challenge. Following an 80-day shutdown, the restaurant reopened in June and sales are slowly increasing.
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"It's been tough but we're keeping people employed," said Brewed co-owner Joey Turner. "We're optimistic but we're down 40% of what we projected."
He said his business received a boost in July and August as more people decided to take last-minute summer vacations and is optimistic about the holiday travel season, thanks to efforts made by DFW Airport.
"They're doing everything they can do to break down any type of fear that we might have," Turner said.
The collection of landing fees – what air carriers pay for the right to land at DFW Airport – is also way down in the fiscal year 2020. In 2019, the airport earned $108.9 million in landing fees. Through August 2020, the airport had generated $78.8 million, which is a 28% reduction.
In an attempt to lure international flights back into the fold, the DFW Airport board will be asked to approve $16 million in incentives for air carriers that dropped routes during the pandemic. The Air Service Incentive Program funds will be paid out during the coming year to “hasten return to service from carriers that discontinued service or reduced capacity on international routes to DFW on or after April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2020 due to COVID-19,” according to the agenda.
The board will also discuss a $5.4 million installation of a new UVC light system inside the airport's HVAC system to hopefully improve air quality and limit the spread of COVID-19.
