DALLAS, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- DFW International Airport in North Texas is facing major economic challenges that may cost it millions of dollars, but experts say it is not unique.

Delta Air Lines has announced it will virtually eliminate its 254 daily flights at the airport by the end of January. A new study says the cutbacks could cost the airport and the Dallas-Fort Worth region $782 million a year.

At the same time, Southwest Airlines has refused an invitation to move some of its flights to the big airport from Dallas Love Field. Instead, it wants to lift a federal ban on long-haul flights from the Dallas airport.

Rich Gritta, an airline expert at the University of Portland, said the challenges faced at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport are not unique. Major airports in New York, Chicago, and Los Angles are facing low-fare competition from regional airports.

The restrictions at Dallas Love Field were enacted in 1979 to protect the DFW airport from the competition. Many Dallas and Fort Worth officials want it to stay in place because of the hard times at the DFW.