Chris McLaughlin is the chief executive officer of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The DFW Airport Board appointed him unanimously on April 24, 2025, after a global executive search, and he took over on May 19, 2025, succeeding Sean Donohue, who retired after more than a decade as CEO.
Career
McLaughlin joined DFW in 2021 as executive vice president of operations. In that role he oversaw the airport’s largest division, including airfield operations, public safety, airline relations, environmental affairs, the Integrated Operations Center and cargo.
Before DFW, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Denver International Airport. Earlier in his career, he led the Transportation Security Administration’s Office of Security Operations, where he helped establish the TSA PreCheck program, and he held positions with Air Wisconsin Airlines and Frontier Airlines.
At DFW Airport
McLaughlin leads an airport that Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson called the third-busiest in the world when the board announced the appointment. He took over in the middle of a major building program that includes a Terminal A pier expansion and a new Terminal F, and the airport’s operations and growth have direct effects on American Airlines, which runs its largest hub at DFW, and on the companies that have chosen North Texas for its air connections.
Because DFW is owned jointly by the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, its CEO works closely with both city governments as well as with the airlines and the surrounding cities.
When the appointment was announced, DFW board chair DeMetris Sampson said McLaughlin stood out among candidates from around the world, and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker praised the airport as an economic engine for the region. A study published by the airport reports that DFW contributes $78.3 billion a year to the North Texas economy and supports 684,000 jobs.
Under his leadership the airport has continued to invest in its own properties as well as its terminals. DFW announced that it purchased the Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport hotel, one of the hotels on airport grounds.
Recognition
McLaughlin was named to D CEO’s 2027 Dallas 500 in the aerospace and aviation category.