Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport has reopened its Terminal E Satellite building with departures from Spirit Airlines, marking the first passenger service at the facility since 2005. The Terminal E Satellite underwent a modernization as part of DFW’s $1.9 billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program (TRIP), and it will house domestic airlines as renovation work gets underway on the main sections of Terminal E in the coming months. The Terminal E Satellite reopened with seven usable gates, and will ultimately have a full complement of nine gates.
“The reopening of the Terminal E Satellite is a clear sign of the great progress we are making on our plans to re-invigorate our original terminals,” said Jeff Fegan, CEO of DFW International Airport. “With this facility, we can continue to serve our partner airlines and our passengers with a high quality environment and with a minimum of disruptions while we revitalize the remainder of Terminal E under the TRIP program.”
Spirit Airlines has temporarily moved its departures to the satellite starting today, and Spirit passengers are being advised to allow an extra five minutes to arrive at their gate. Next May, US Airways will join Spirit in the satellite as renovation work begins on the southernmost section of Terminal E.
The Terminal E Satellite, which houses Gates E22 through E30, can be accessed at Gate E-21 via an underground tunnel that includes moving walkways. The satellite terminal will feature several concessions outlets, including Starbucks, Dickey’s Barbecue and Freshëns, with several other concessions outlets still to come.
“This satellite facility is a great asset for the Airport to have as we work to improve the airport’s original terminals under TRIP,” said Perfecto Solis, DFW’s vice president for airport development and engineering. “The nine gates give us plenty of space to continue our normal operations during construction, and when we are finished with construction, we will have added capacity to make room for airline growth.”
The Terminal E Satellite is capable of housing regional jets as well as mainline passenger jets, and it has one gate capable of handling a wide-body aircraft.
The Terminal E Satellite facility originally opened in 1988 at a time when DFW needed additional gate capacity. The satellite facility closed in 2005, and Airport staff took great care to decommission the building. The renovation project leading to today’s re-opening took less than one year to complete.
