Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (IATA: AFW, ICAO: KAFW, FAA LID: AFW) is a public airport 14 miles (23 km) north of the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas, United States.^[1] The airport is owned by the City of Fort Worth and managed by Alliance Air Services, a subsidiary of Hillwood Development, and is, in size, the second-largest airport facility in North Texas, behind only Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).^[2]

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport
FAA airport diagram
IATA: AFW ICAO: KAFW FAA LID: AFW
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Fort Worth
Serves	Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Hub for	FedEx Express
Focus city for	Amazon Air
Elevation AMSL	723 ft / 220 m
Coordinates	32°59′25″N 097°19′10″W / 32.99028°N 97.31944°W / 32.99028; -97.31944
Website	https://www.allianceairport.com/
Map
KAFW Location of airport in Texas Show map of Texas KAFW KAFW (the United States) Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 16L/34R 11,000 3,353 Concrete 16R/34L 11,125 3,391 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations (year ending 3/31/2023) 109,652 Based aircraft 22
Source: Federal Aviation Administration^[1]

The airport is mainly focused on cargo operations, and serves as a southern regional hub for FedEx Express and focus city for Amazon Air. It provides no major commercial passenger airline service, though it does provide general aviation services. It formerly served as a maintenance hub for Fort Worth-based American Airlines, until the bankruptcy filing and subsequent restructuring of its parent AMR Corporation.

History

Billed as the world's first purely industrial airport, it was developed in a joint venture between the City of Fort Worth, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Hillwood Development Company, a real estate development company owned by Ross Perot Jr.^[2]

The official groundbreaking ceremonies were held in July 1988, and the airport officially opened on December 14, 1989.^[3][4]

Alliance Airport was an occasional source of friction between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth prior to the repeal of Wright Amendment, which imposed long-distance flight restrictions at Dallas Love Field after non-compete clauses in the 1968 DFW Concurrent Bond Ordinance signed by Dallas and Fort Worth failed to stop Southwest Airlines from beginning service from Love. The bond agreement prohibited both cities from offering municipal airport services that are "potentially competitive" with DFW.^[5][6] Fort Worth officials long asserted that, unlike Love Field, Alliance is not a direct competitor to DFW as no attempt was ever made to initiate passenger service there and the FedEx and American Airlines bases would never have been located at DFW, instead.^[7]

In the early 1990s, factions in Dallas were calling for Wright Amendment restrictions to be lifted to enhance local airline service. On February 21, 1992, Dallas city leaders threatened to block a proposed US$120 million expansion of Alliance, accusing Fort Worth leaders of undermining support for other local airport projects; Dallas councilman Jerry Bartos, an influential repeal proponent, was accused of trying to make Alliance a negotiating point in his campaign to repeal the Wright Amendment.^[8] On February 25, Dallas leaders dropped their objections when it became clear that the planned expansion would not jeopardize federal funding for other local airport projects.^[9] On April 8, the city of Fort Worth sued the City of Dallas, accusing Dallas leaders of violating the non-compete clause by scheduling a City Council vote on the Wright Amendment.^[10] The 1992 repeal proposal and lawsuit were later dropped after negotiations between the cities, but it was revealed in 1997 that, during a private meeting held on May 11, 1992, influential Fort Worth politicians and civic leaders were seriously concerned that their support for Alliance could give Dallas grounds to countersue Fort Worth for also violating the bond agreement.^[6]

In 1993, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot proposed opening a cargo base at Alliance as part of a proposed joint venture with the Perots to expand cargo operations at three airports in Russia. On May 6, 1993, a group of Russian officials negotiating for the proposal arrived at Alliance in an Ilyushin Il-96, the first U.S. visit by the new passenger jet.^[11]

In 1998, the Wright Amendment issue resurfaced when Fort Worth and American Airlines sued Dallas, Continental Airlines, Continental Express, and Legend Airlines for supporting the Shelby Amendment, which lifted Wright Amendment restrictions on flights to Alabama, Kansas, and Mississippi. On October 1, 1998, Legend countersued Fort Worth, accusing the city of a "double standard" in its simultaneous support for Alliance and opposition to expansion at Love. Lead Fort Worth attorney Lee Kelly contested the accusations, saying that "neither passenger service, nor any other service, believed to be competitive with the services or interests of [DFW] currently exists [at Alliance]," while Fort Worth mayor Kenneth Barr dismissed attacks on the all-cargo airport as "a bunch of nonsense."^[7] On October 29, 1998, State District Judge Bob McCoy dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that Legend was not a party to the 1968 DFW bond agreement and thus lacked standing to sue.^[12]

Alliance stood in for Los Angeles International Airport during the filming of the pilot episode of the short-lived 2004 TV drama LAX.^[13]

A US$260 million runway and taxiway extension project was completed in April 2018 to allow heavily loaded cargo aircraft to take off from either runway in hot and high Texas summer weather conditions and reach Europe unrefueled. The project had been under construction since 2003 and required the relocation of nearby sections of Farm to Market Road 156 and a BNSF Railway line. Runways 16R/34L and 16L/34R were previously 8,200 feet (2,500 m) and 9,600 feet (2,900 m) long, respectively.^[14]

In December, 2022, the airport name was changed to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport in honor of Ross Perot, Sr.^[15]

Facilities and aircraft

 

The control tower at Alliance

Fort Worth Alliance Airport covers an area of 1,198 acres (485 ha) and has two concrete runways: 16L/34R measuring 11,000 ft × 150 ft (3,353 m × 46 m) and 16R/34L measuring 11,125 ft × 150 ft (3,391 m × 46 m).^[1]

For the year ending March 31, 2023,^[update] the airport had 109,652 aircraft operations, averaging 300 per day: 61% general aviation, 18% air carrier, 10% military, and 11% air taxi. As of March 31, 2023,^[update] there were 22 aircraft based at this airport: 1 single-engine, 5 multi-engine, 8 jet and 8 helicopter.^[1]

Cargo airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Amazon Air	Allentown, Atlanta, Boise, Charlotte, Chicago–O’Hare, Des Moines,^[16] Hartford, Los Angeles, Lakeland, Las Vegas, Manchester (NH), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mobile–International,^[17] Miami, New Orleans, Nashville, New York–JFK, Omaha,^[18] Ontario, Portland, Richmond, San Francisco, Seattle, Toledo, Wichita^[19]
Atlas Air^[20]	Amarillo, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Lakeland, Las Vegas, Manchester (NH), Miami, Nashville, Ontario, Portland, Stockton, Toledo
FedEx Express	Anchorage, Atlanta, Austin, Burbank, Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, El Paso, Fort Lauderdale, Greensboro, Houston–Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Oakland, Ontario, Orlando, Portland (OR), San Antonio, San Francisco, Tampa, Tulsa, Wichita, Oklahoma City

Cargo destinations map
Fort Worth-Alliance   Atlanta   Chicago–O'Hare   Los Angeles   Long Beach   Ontario   San Antonio   Memphis   Tulsa   Tampa   Lakeland   Orlando   Fort Lauderdale   Houston–Intercontinental   Austin   Minneapolis/St. Paul   Denver   San Francisco   Burbank   Portland   Kansas City   Oakland   El Paso   Greensboro class=notpageimage| Cargo destinations from Fort Worth Alliance Airport

Major tenants

 

Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets at the 2019 Fort Worth Alliance Air Show

American Airlines was previously the largest tenant at the airport, operating a major maintenance base which closed in December 2012 as part of AMR's Chapter 11 reorganization. Current major tenants include:

• Amazon Air (new hub opened on October 2, 2019)
• BNSF Railway (Alliance intermodal facility)
• Bell Helicopter Textron (customer acceptance center)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (aviation operations center)
• DynCorp International (main operations center)
• FedEx (southwest regional sorting hub; FedEx also operates from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's east cargo facility)
• GDC Technics (aircraft modification company currently occupying the ex-American Airlines facility)^[21]
• Tarrant County College – Aviation Learning Center (2014)^[22]
• Gulfstream Aerospace (Maintenance Service Center)^[23]

Accidents and incidents

• April 8, 1992: A student pilot in a Cessna 150, registration number N67816, became lost during a nighttime solo cross-country flight and initiated an emergency landing at Alliance when the aircraft began losing power; the aircraft struck power lines and a tree on approach, causing substantial aircraft damage and minor injuries. The accident was attributed to fuel exhaustion caused by the pilot's failure to refuel the aircraft during an earlier stop; a factor was the pilot's inadvertent disorientation.^[24]
• February 17, 2001: A Piper PA-32, N8355L, was on approach when propeller RPM suddenly increased and engine instruments indicated zero oil pressure. The aircraft lost power and was substantially damaged during the subsequent off-airport forced landing; one pilot suffered serious injuries, while a second pilot and two passengers suffered minor injuries. The accident was attributed to the improper installation of engine oiling parts by unknown persons; a contributing factor was a lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.^[25]
• May 29, 2011: The owner-pilot and a flight instructor in a Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, N747CH, lost control during low-altitude practice maneuvers with the hydraulic assist for the flight controls switched off. The aircraft crashed and caught fire and all three occupants suffered minor injuries. Investigators found that Eurocopter advised against attempting low-altitude, low-speed maneuvers without hydraulic assistance. The accident was attributed to the pilot's loss of control, and to inadequate supervision and delayed remedial response by the flight instructor.^[26]

See also

• List of airports in Texas

References

1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for AFW PDF, effective 2024-01-25
2. "Fort Worth Begins Construction of $25 Million Industrial Airport". The Journal Record. Dolan Media. 1988-06-17. ProQuest 259216187. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
3. "Fort Worth opens multimodal airport". Railway Age. January 1990. p. 21.
4. "History". Fort Worth Alliance Airport. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
5. Cooper, William (1992-05-10). "Love Field controversy should now be shelved forever". The Dallas Morning News. ISSN 1553-846X. OCLC 1035116631.
6. Zimmerman, Ann (1997-11-06). "Hypocritic oath". Dallas Observer. ISSN 0732-0299. OCLC 7095491. Archived from the original on 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
7. Baker, Max B. (1998-10-02). "Legend Airlines sues Fort Worth". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Vol. 93, no. 160 (City Final ed.). p. B1. ISSN 0889-0013. Retrieved 2022-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Lunsford, J. Lynn (1992-02-22). "Dallas officials concerned about proposed Alliance expansion". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Vol. 86, no. 300. p. A19. ISSN 0889-0013 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Lunsford, J. Lynn (1992-02-26). "Dallas backs expansion at Alliance". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Vol. 86, no. 304. p. A25. Retrieved 2022-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Camuto, Robert V.; Gammage, Stefani (1992-04-10). "Fort Worth draws a line in the sky sues Dallas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Vol. 86, no. 348 (Lone Star A.M. ed.). p. A1. ISSN 0889-0013. Retrieved 2022-06-08 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Reed, Dan (1993-05-07). "Revolutionary idea brings Russians to Cowtown confab". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Vol. 88, no. 18 (City Final ed.). p. A1. ISSN 0889-0013. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
12. Hunt, Dianna (1998-10-30). "Judge dismisses claims over Alliance Airport: Legend can't countersue FW in Love battle". The Dallas Morning News. ISSN 1553-846X. OCLC 1035116631.
13. Peppard, Alan (2004-09-10). "Best of weather for lunch". The Dallas Morning News. ISSN 1553-846X. OCLC 1035116631. Actress Heather Locklear will be on to talk about her new NBC airport drama, LAX, which shot its pilot in the Dallas/Fort Worth area (with Alliance Airport impersonating LAX).
14. Dickson, Gordon (2018-04-22). "Will a longer runway at this Fort Worth airport help land more jobs?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. ISSN 0889-0013. Archived from the original on 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
15. Rudolph, Jenny (2022-12-16). "Fort Worth's Alliance Airport gets new name in honor of Ross Perot Sr". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
16. O'Brien, Mike (2021-11-10). "Amazon Air Expands to Des Moines". Multichannel Merchant. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
17. Knight, Ashley (2022-11-03). "Amazon Air launches cargo service at Mobile International Airport". WPMI. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
18. "Omaha's Eppley Airfield welcomes daily flights from Amazon Air's cargo service". KETV. 2022-02-10. Archived from the original on 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
19. "Amazon Air Takes off in Wichita with Delivery". PYMNTS. 2022-01-24. from the original on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
20. "Atlas Air Schedule". Atlas Air. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
21. "GDC Technics inks lease of 840,000 sf at Alliance Airport, Fort Worth, Texas" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2015-02-20. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
22. Collins, Mike (2015-04-05). "Happy Anniversary, Alliance". AOPA. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
23. "Gulfstream plans another expansion in Fort Worth". Globalair.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
24.   This article incorporates public domain material from National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2022-06-08. (FTW92FA107).
25.   This article incorporates public domain material from National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2022-06-08. (FTW01LA068).
26.   This article incorporates public domain material from National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report. National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 2022-06-08. (CEN11FA359).

External links

• Official website  
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective March 21, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KAFW
  • ASN accident history for AFW
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KAFW
  • FAA current AFW delay information