Sky Harbour Makes a Big Splash In the Big-D

Private Aviation real estate developer and operator Sky Harbour will be moving into the Dallas Metroplex in a big way with the signing of ground leases at three area airports for the creation of new "Home Base Operator" campuses.;

The company signed a lease with the city of Fort Worth for a 4.2-acre plot at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (KFTW) with an option for an additional acre, should it become available. It plans to break ground in late 2026 on a $17 million complex consisting of a pair of 32,000 sq ft private hangars capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets and install a dedicated fuel tank in the airport’s fuel farm, with anticipated opening in late 2027.

The Dallas city council also approved Sky Harbour for leases at Dallas Love Field (KDAL) and Dallas Executive Airport (KRBD). At KDAL, where it has a 7.5-acre lease, it is planning to build two 37,000 sq ft hangars (which can be divided into two separate smaller hangars) and install its own fuel farm with an investment of $17.5 million, while at KRBD, it will double the number of 37,000 sq ft hangars it expects to place on a 16-acre leasehold. The $35 million facility there will also include its own fuel farm. These are expected to be completed in 2028.

These bring the company's tally to 23 airports in the U.S., with nine locations in operation and 14 under development. In an example of its vertical integration, Sky Harbour constructs its own multiple-sized hangars as standard kits, and delivers them to the locations where its build crews erect them.

At most of the locations, it provides dedicated fueling services, with exclusive ground handling services and in-hangar suites tailored to each operator’s needs, at all its facilities.

“Dallas is already one of the most robust business aviation markets in the United States, and is also among the fastest growing,” said company CEO Tal Keinan, noting its existing facility at Addison Airport (KADS). “We see advantages in clustering Sky Harbour campuses in the nation’s deepest business aviation markets, manifesting in more tailored solutions to the respective business aviation communities and in significant [operational expenditure] and [capital expenditure] benefits.”