---
title: "DFW is which airport? Dallas"
description: "DFW is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, United States. Why the code is DFW and not something you could guess, plus the codes it gets mixed up with."
url: https://atoneplace.net/airport/dfw/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What airport is DFW?

**DFW is: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport**

Dallas, United States

## Why the code is DFW

Dallas Fort Worth. The airport sits between the two cities because neither would let the other have it.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

## The airport

- **IATA code:** DFW
- **ICAO code:** KDFW
- **Airport:** Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
- **City:** Dallas, United States
- **Opened:** 1974
- **Code origin:** Documented

Dallas and Fort Worth spent decades refusing to share an airport, and the federal government eventually forced the issue by declining to fund either city separately. The compromise site is larger than the island of Manhattan. It has its own postal code, its own police and fire departments, and sits in four different cities.

## Codes people book by mistake

| Code | What it actually is |
| --- | --- |
| DAL | Dallas Love Field, much closer to downtown, and the airport the whole DFW argument was about. |

## The other code, KDFW

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, DFW, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, KDFW, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why KDFW looks nothing like DFW.

## Common questions

### What airport is DFW?

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, in Dallas, United States.

### Why is Dallas's airport called DFW?

Dallas Fort Worth. The airport sits between the two cities because neither would let the other have it.

### What is the difference between DFW and KDFW?

DFW is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. KDFW is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

### Is DFW the same as DAL?

No. DAL is dallas Love Field, much closer to downtown, and the airport the whole DFW argument was about.

## Related pages

- [United States](https://atoneplace.net/country/united-states/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [Airport codes in United States](https://atoneplace.net/airport/in/united-states/)
- [What airport is JFK?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/jfk/)
- [What airport is LAX?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lax/)
- [What airport is ORD?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ord/)
- [What airport is ATL?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/atl/)
- [What airport is MCO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/mco/)
- [What airport is EWR?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/ewr/)
- [What airport is SFO?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/sfo/)
- [What airport is LGA?](https://atoneplace.net/airport/lga/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)