When a Boeing 777-300ER modified by GDC Technics recently made an 8,000-mile nonstop delivery flight from Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, it marked the first-ever international VVIP aircraft departure from the Dallas-area field. According to the airport, which is owned by the city and managed by Hillwood Development subsidiary Alliance Air Services, the aircraft was destined for head-of-state service with the Indian government, and AFW could not have hosted such a flight involving a twin-aisle, fully-fueled aircraft before its 2018 expansion project. Runways 16R/34L and 16L/34R, at 8,200 and 9,600 feet, respectively, were lengthened to 11,000 feet, along with Taxiway A, during the construction program.
“The runway extension project was one of the most complex airport improvement projects to ever be undertaken by Hillwood or the FAA,” said Air Alliance president Tom Harris. “The expansion will continue to provide greater flight capability and enable long-haul flights to take off fully-fueled under almost any weather condition.”
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