This allows its east and west runways to be operated like separate airports, enabling four aircraft to land simultaneously. Every day DFW's seven runways handle nearly 2,300 take offs and landings. An eighth runway is planned for the near future and three existing runways are being extended as DFW prepares for future growth and the use of new, larger transcontinental aircraft. With its strategic central location and the resources of both a free trade zone and a vast international air freight operation, DFW Airport provides its customers with access to the primary distribution crossroads for North America. Intermodal Capability DFW Airport, centrally located, is the focal point of one of the nation's largest intermodal hubs, connecting air, rail and interstate highway systems.
Shippers can link easily with rail, regional superhighways and coastal water ports.
In 1996, the FAA implemented the largest navigational system change ever undertaken in U.S. history at DFW Airport. The resulting increase in system capacity reduced delays and improved aircraft arrival and departure times. Design Group Six Capability DFW Airport is one of just a handful of airports in the world capable of accommodating the next generation of jumbo aircraft. The space available at DFW Airport's southwest and northeast holding aprons already provide Air Traffic Controllers with the flexibility to sequence departures based on runway availability rather than on position in queue. Two more holding aprons are on the way to further enhance capacity and reduce departure delay.