January’s winter storm was “monumental in terms of aviation incidents in North Texas that have been weather-related over the last several years,” DFW Airport’s chief executive Chris McLaughlin told the airport board at its Feb. 5 meeting.
In his report to the board, McLaughlin said the airport experienced an accumulation of 2.5 inches of ice that led to significant flight disruptions.
Runway ice is a major safety factor, due to increased aircraft stopping distance and the risk of losing directional control during takeoffs and landings.
The airfield at DFW Airport is being plowed during January’s winter storm. (Courtesy photo | DFW Airport)
American Airlines reported canceling an estimated 9,000 flights across its system and said DFW was particularly hard hit, with close to 3,700 cancellations through Jan. 27.
Teams were deployed in DFW’s Emergency Operations Center for over 100 hours during the storm, with responsibility for coordinating all response activities.
Two runways were kept available during every hour of the storm, and the Skylink train and baggage systems were kept operational throughout.
Thirteen vehicles made over 30 ice removal passes on runways and taxiways, and approximately 600 miles of priority roadways were kept open. In total, 250,000 pounds of solid deicer were spread, and 100,000 gallons of liquid deicer were sprayed on aircraft.
Inside the terminals, more than 100 concession vendors were open throughout the storm, serving passengers and over 500 airport employees.
McLaughlin proudly reported that there were zero safety incidents recorded. He credited strong leadership by Catrina Gilbert, DFW Airport’s vice president of risk management, as well as her commitment to the safety of all airport employees.
American Airlines planes get ready for takeoff after being deiced on the runway during the recent January ice storm. (Courtesy photo | DFW Airport)
McLaughlin used the opportunity to report that Gilbert was recently honored by Airports Council International – North America as their 2025 risk management professional of the year for large hub airports.
“I really want to acknowledge the hard work of our teams and our partners who did everything they could to keep the airport operational during a really complex time,” McLaughlin said.
Officer elections
The airport board holds elections for officers each February. Board member and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker nominated Vernon Evans as chair, Ben Leal as vice chair and Joel Burns as secretary.
Each has been currently serving as board members, with Evans serving as vice chair for the past year.
The nominations were seconded by Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno who was sitting in for Mayor Eric Johnson at this meeting. Each candidate was approved by unanimous vote. Outgoing chair DeMetris Sampson will continue to serve as a regular member of the board.
Expenditures approved
In board business, new expenditures of $386.4 million were approved, focused primarily on road work associated with a new Terminal E access and construction of a centralized receiving and distribution center to improve security and enhance operational efficiency for material and supplies delivered to, and distributed throughout the airport.
Other expenditures of interest included contracts for the replacement of all flight information displays throughout the airport with larger, 75-inch energy efficient monitors, and expansion of a mystery shopper program to observe and measure customer service, product quality and overall passenger experience across approximately 200 airport concessions.
Doug Wilhelm is a member of the Fort Worth Report’s Documenters crew.
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