Dallas Love Field is shutting down its busiest runway for a 10-month overhaul just as airline traffic ramps back up after a stagnant year.
Love Field is shuttering runway 13R-31L nearest Denton Drive today for a complete rip-down and rebuild, which will give it just one active runway until February.
Until then, Southwest Airlines, Delta, Alaska and charter carriers will have to use the runway nearest Lemmon Avenue, which could cause delays for incoming passengers as the airport heads into the busy travel season, said airport spokesman Christopher Perry.
Airlines are anticipating a major increase in traffic over the summer holidays, including Southwest Airlines, headquartered at Love Field. The airport has nearly 10,000 incoming and outgoing flights on major carriers set for May and nearly 12,000 for June, which would be by far the busiest the airport has been since the covid-19 pandemic started over a year ago.
The 8,000-foot Denton Drive runway on the southwest side of the airport is primarily used by commercial airlines to reduce noise for neighborhoods on the other side of the airport. It was built in 1990 with concrete projected to have a 20-year lifespan. But the airport has seen major increases in traffic with changes over the past two decades.
Airplanes landing at the airport are now heavier, too, Perry said, causing increased wear and tear on the runway.
Love Field officials actually planned to complete the runway rebuild a year ago, which would have been ideal during the covid-19 pandemic when passenger traffic and flight operations dropped dramatically. But the pandemic also brought uncertainty to funding and the airport's leadership had to delay the project.
In fact, DFW International Airport just completed a runway rebuild that it moved up to take advantage of decreased flying during the pandemic.
But Love Field, which is operated by the city of Dallas and doesn't have the huge budget surplus of DFW airport, had to wait until now to secure funding. The $141 million project will be paid for through Federal Aviation Administration grants, passenger facilities charges and a long-term bond.
Departing passengers are unlikely to see many delays based on past periods of runway construction, but some incoming passengers might be held up and have to circle while waiting for a slot to land during peak traffic periods.
Overall, Perry said, Love Field's runways are underused.
"San Diego has a busier airport than we do and they get by with just one runway," he said.