DFW International Airport CEO Jeff Fegan Joins Secretary of State and Secretary of Transportation in Celebration of Open Skies

(DFW AIRPORT, TX – March 31, 2011) – Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport chief executive officer Jeff Fegan joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. for a State Department celebration of the 100th Open Skies Agreement reached between the United States and its trade partners.

“In each case, an Open Skies Agreement has powerful benefits,” said Secretary Clinton. “Fewer government restrictions, more competition, more jobs in the air and on the ground; more people trading, exchanging and interacting; cheaper flights, more tourists, new routes to new cities.”

Fegan said that Open Skies Agreements have expanded international passenger and cargo flights to and from DFW, promoting increased travel and trade and sparking job opportunities and economic growth.

“We have grown from 19 international destinations in 1992 -- today we 46 international destinations from DFW Airport,” said Fegan. “Of course, all of this change translates to job creation and investment in our region. Dallas-Fort Worth has become a center for 24 Fortune 500 companies, many of whom cite the global connectivity through DFW as the primary factor for business decisions to locate in our community.”

The celebration was held in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department, in honor of the pact with Israel marking the nation’s 100th Open Skies Agreement. The first Open Skies Agreement was signed by the United States and The Netherlands in 1992.

DFW was one of the founding airport members of the group United States Airports for Better International Air Service (USA-BIAS), which pushed for the adoption of Open Skies Agreements in the early 1990’s.