DALLAS—Dallas mayor and airport board member Tom Leppert on Wednesday asked for an investigation at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport after a television report detailed the expensive travel habits of the airport’s executives.

Airport executives spent nearly $500,000 on travel costs in the 18 months leading up to the first budget freeze in airport history, KTVT reported this week.

Leppert told the station he has contacted board chair Lillie Biggins and asked for an investigation.

“I want to see exactly what was spent, where it was spent and what were the circumstances,” Leppert said.

According to documents obtained through the Texas Public Information Act, the station reported that Chief Executive Jeff Fegan took 21 international trips in first or business class that cost as much as $13,000 apiece and totaled $97,000.

DFW Airport spokesman Ken Capps disputed the KTVT report and said executives flew on coach fares for all domestic flights in 2007 and 2008 and that international travel was “designed to allow our executives to be ready to do business the second they step off the plane.”