Nearly $75 million has gone into Meacham, Spinks and Perot Field since 2020, and World Cup traffic lifted fuel sales at two of them

Fort Worth has spent close to $75 million improving its three city-owned airports since 2020, according to figures city staff presented to the Aviation Advisory Board this month.

Capital projects manager Tyler Dale gave the board a breakdown at its Oct. 15 meeting, as recorded by a Fort Worth Report Documenter. Meacham International Airport accounted for the most, about $33.1 million, followed by Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport at $22.5 million and Spinks Airport at $18.4 million.

Where the money went

At Meacham, the work has included a 2021 master plan update and rehabilitation of Taxiway Juliet and Aprons Charlie and Delta; a turn lane at Gate 1 built in 2024; milling and overlay of Falcon Way and Gulfstream Road the same year; and reconstruction of Apron Bravo and Taxiway Golf, which began in 2025.

Improvements along the airport's frontage, first designed in 2021, are about 75% complete. A new maintenance building is on hold until a water line is moved.

At Spinks, spending covered runway electrical upgrades, 12 box hangars built in 2020, an east side hangar taxiway in 2023, a master plan update, replacement of the automated weather observing system, demolition of an old maintenance building, drainage work folded into a second phase of taxi lane construction, and a vehicle service road and land purchases by 2025.

At Perot Field, the money went to extending and rehabilitating Taxiway Papa, a Gulfstream taxiway extension with joint resealing and pavement repair, a pavement management study and vehicle purchases.

The World Cup bump

Aaron Barth, the city's assistant aviation director, compared operations and fuel deliveries over the past year with the year before.

Perot Field saw both rise during the World Cup period. Staff attributed the jump in fuel to more than 50 cargo flights, added FedEx activity in July and some traffic tied to FIFA events.

Meacham posted a smaller rise in operations and monthly fuel flow.

Its fixed-base operators gave their own numbers: Modern reported 407 special event fees connected to FIFA, with fuel sales up 16.9% in June from a year earlier and 28% in July, while Texas Jet reported a 7.5% gain in June and a little over 2% in July, with an estimated 85 to 90 aircraft tied to World Cup travel.

Spinks' operations were mostly flat. A spike in fuel delivered there in June and July was put down to preparation for expected aircraft and heavy military activity rather than the tournament itself.

"Everybody did a great job, and we were being told great things came over the summer, so we're thankful for that," Barth told the board.

The Fort Worth Report noted that Hillwood, master developer of Perot Field, is one of its financial supporters.

Sources

fortworthreport.org