Airport stays aggressive on international flights

In Dallas/Fort Worth Airport’s annual update of its local economic impact figures back in October, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price stressed the airport’s plans to expand international service.

“While we have seen a tremendous expansion of international flights at DFW, we see a great opportunity as a region to win even more on the global stage,” Price said in a news release.

On Thursday, the DFW Airport board, of which Price is a member, took further steps to carry through on that promise.

Larger airplanes and longer flights will receive larger incentives in terms of reduced landing fees and marketing costs for new service.

International service has been an emphasis at DFW since it opened in 1974, but getting it and retaining it requires constant attention.

In its 2015 fiscal year, DFW spent $12.2 million on such incentives.

The airport is seeking nonstop flights to Rome; Auckland, New Zealand; and Johannesburg, as well as Dublin; Munich, Germany; Helsinki, Finland; Berlin; Nagoya, Japan; and Melbourne, Australia.

This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Airport stays aggressive on international flights."