It’s been a bad year for American Airlines so far for delays and cancellations, with the carrier blaming the Boeing Max grounding, weather and even its own mechanics.
Add to that list its own catering facility.
American says its kitchen at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is outdated, too small and inefficient, and has led to 2,300 flight delays this summer.
Built in the 1980s, it can no longer handle the capacity which is now an average of 900 flights a day at the airport.
Its plans to build a new facility costing about $100 million which has just been approved by the airport board.
A new catering facility is ‘critical to enable future expansion’ the airline said in its application for a lease for additional land at DFW.
A 40-year lease on 21 acres of airport land was approved and construction will begin in the New Year.
It expects to open the new facility in mid-2021.
American uses catering contractor LSG Sky Chefs.
American recorded more than 30,000 departure delays at DFW so far this year, which is the highest for six years.
