By Tekisha Hobbs, Fort Worth Report
October 31, 2026

Updates regarding three major aviation capital improvement projects and responses to the FIFA World Cup 2026 were presented to the Aviation Advisory Board in October.

Nearly $75 million has been spent on improvements to Meacham International Airport, Spinks Airport and Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport since 2020, according to data presented to the board by capital projects manager Tyler Dale Oct. 15.

Meacham International Airport

The $33.1 million investment into Meacham saw work in these sectors:

A master plan update and rehabilitation for Taxiway Juliet, Apron Charlie and Apron Delta in 2021.
Airport frontage improvements, which was first designed in 2021 and is 75% complete.
Construction of Gate 1 turn lane in 2024.
A Pavement Condition Index study update.
Reconstruction on Apron Bravo and Taxiway Golf, construction started in 2025.
Falcon Way and Gulfstream Road milling and overlay in 2024.
New maintenance building’s construction is pending until the relocation of a water line.

Spinks Airport

The $18.4 million investment into Spinks saw work in these sectors:

Runway electrical improvements, with 12 box hangars constructed in 2020.
East side hangar taxiway, constructed in 2023.
Master plan update and AWOS replacement by 2023.
Demolition of east side maintenance building in 2023.
Drainage improvements, which was combined into Phase 2 taxi lane construction.
Vehicle service road construction and property acquisitions by 2025.

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport

The $22.5 million investment into Perot Field saw work in these sectors:

Extension and rehab of Taxiway Papa.
Gulfstream taxiway extension, joint reseal and pavement repair.
Pavement management study and vehicle acquisitions.

World Cup impact

Aaron Barth, aviation assistant director for the city, gave a presentation to the advisory board noting airport operations and fuel flowage from August 2024 to August 2025, and from August 2025 to a month and a half ago.

Perot Field saw an increase in operations and fuel flow during the World Cup period. Over 50 cargo flights contributed to the spike in fuel flowage, along with increased FedEx activity in July 2026 and some FIFA event traffic.

Meacham saw a modest increase in both operations and monthly fuel flow during the World Cup period. Fixed-based operators reported increased special event traffic and fuel sales:

Modern reported 407 special event fees tied to FIFA, with June 2026 fuel sales up 16.9% over the previous year, and up 28% in July.
Texas Jet reported a 7.5% increase in June and just over 2% in July, with approximately 85 to 90 aircraft estimated as tied to World Cup flights.

Spinks operations remained mostly flat during the World Cup period, but saw a spike in fuel delivered in June and July, attributed to preparations for expected aircraft and considerable military activity rather than direct FIFA impact.

“Everybody did a great job, and we were being told great things came over the summer, so we’re thankful for that,” Barth said.

2026 Aviation Advisory Board

Documenter: Tekisha Hobbs

Date: Oct. 15, 2026

Learn more about this meeting by clicking here. For the agenda, click here.

Tekisha Hobbs is a member of the Fort Worth Report Documenters crew. If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at news@fortworthreport.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

Disclosure: Hillwood, master developer of Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ""