Source: Charlotte Douglas International Airport[1][2]
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (IATA:CLT,ICAO:KCLT,FAALID:CLT) is aninternational airport servingCharlotte,North Carolina,United States, located roughly 6 miles (9.7 km) west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and military use in theCharlotte metropolitan area. Operated by the city of Charlotte's aviation department,[3] the airport covers 5,558 acres (2,249 ha) of land.[4][5]
Established in 1935 asCharlotte Municipal Airport, the airport was later renamed asDouglas Municipal Airport forBen Elbert Douglas Sr., who was the mayor of Charlotte when the airport was first built. In 1982, the airport was renamed again, this time to its current Charlotte Douglas International Airport.[6]
In 2019, CLT was the 11th-busiest airport in the United States in terms of passenger traffic, having processed over 50 million passengers,[7] and fifth-busiest in terms of aircraft operations, ranking sixth globally.[8] In 2021, CLT grew to the sixth busiest airport in the United States.[9] Charlotte is afortress hub forAmerican Airlines, which operates the majority of the airport's flights. The airport has 3 operating runways and one passenger terminal with 124 gates across five concourses. A commercial-civil-military facility, the airport is home to the Charlotte Air National Guard base and its host unit, the 145th Airlift Wing of theNorth Carolina Air National Guard.[10]
The city receivedWorks Progress Administration funding to establish Charlotte's first municipal airport; the airport was, at the time, the largest single WPA project in the United States, incorporating a terminal, hangar, beacon tower and three runways.[11]
In 1936,Charlotte Municipal Airport opened, operated by the City of Charlotte;Eastern Air Lines began scheduled passenger service in 1937. The original passenger terminal still exists and is used for offices and training rooms by various aviation-related organizations.
TheUnited States Army Air Forces took control of the airport and establishedCharlotte Air Base in early 1941, which was renamedMorris Field soon after theattack on Pearl Harbor. The US military invested more than $5 million in airfield improvements by the time the facility was returned to the City of Charlotte in 1946.[11] The airfield was used by theThird Air Force for antisubmarine patrols and training.
In 1954, a 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) passenger terminal opened and the airport was renamedDouglas Municipal Airport in honor of former Charlotte MayorBen Elbert Douglas Sr., who had overseen the airport's opening 20 years earlier. The terminal had two floors; passenger operations were confined to the ground floor. Ticketing and baggage claim were on each side of an open space that bisected the building north to south, and a mezzanine restaurant and airline offices overlooked this open space.Delta Air Lines began scheduled passenger service in 1956. TheOAG for April 1957 shows 57 weekday departures on Eastern, 7 Piedmont, 6 Capital, 4 Delta and 2 Southern. Nonstop flights did not reach beyond Newark, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Louisville, Birmingham, and Jacksonville.
Scheduled jet flights (Eastern Air Lines Boeing 720s) began in early 1962.[12] Eastern used the west pier,Piedmont and Delta the center pier, and United andSouthern used the east pier.
A major renovation project in the late 1960s expanded the facility. Eastern opened a unit terminal in 1967, replacing the old west pier. This new facility had eight dedicated gates for Eastern, each with its own departure lounge, snack bar and separate baggage claim space. Eastern passengers continued to check in at the main terminal.
In 1969, a new enclosed concourse was built parallel to the center pier. When it was completed, Piedmont, Eastern, and Delta moved in and the old center pier was demolished. The new concourse had separate departure lounges, restrooms and an enlarged baggage claim area. United's flights continued to use the east pier, with an enclosed holding room added for waiting passengers. Eastern added two more gates to the end of its west concourse in 1973.
In April 1975, the airport had 97 weekday departures to 32 destinations on seven airlines.[13][14]
Afterairline deregulation, passenger numbers at the terminal nearly doubled between 1978 and 1980, and a new 10,000-foot (3,000 m) parallel runway and control tower opened in 1979. The airport's master plan called for a new terminal across the runway from the existing site, with ground broken in 1979. At the time, the airport had only two concourses: one used exclusively by Eastern, and one used by other carriers, includingUnited,Delta,Piedmont, and several commuter airlines.[15]
In 1979,Piedmont Airlines chose Charlotte as thehub for its expanding network. A new 325,000-square-foot (30,200 m2) passenger terminal designed byOdell Associates opened in 1982, and the airport was renamedCharlotte Douglas International Airport.[16] Concourses B and C were expanded in 1987 and 1984 respectively, while Concourse A was built in 1986 to handle future growth.[16]
In 1987, Piedmont started non-stop 767 flights to London. In the mid-1980s, the old terminal site was converted to a cargo center, and the central concourse and Eastern unit terminal were removed to make way for more cargo buildings. The original main building still stands and is used for office space. The old control tower was removed in the late 1990s. In 1989 Piedmont merged with USAir; the new merged operations kept the USAir name.
In 1990, a new 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) international and commuter concourse (Concourse D) opened, and in 1991 further expansion of the central terminal building continued, reflective of USAir's dominating presence at the airport. A monumental bronze statue of QueenCharlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (the namesake of the city), created byRaymond Kaskey, was placed in front of the main terminal.
In 1990,Lufthansa beganBoeing 747-200 service to Charlotte, on a Frankfurt-Charlotte-Houston routing; however, this service was short-lived. In 1994,British Airways began service to London via a "global alliance" with USAir. This was later discontinued in 2002, asBritish Airways formed theOneworld Alliance and USAir become a part of the Star Alliance (although USAir later joinedOneworld prior to merging withAmerican). In 2003, Lufthansa restarted service to Charlotte, though now fromMunich, utilizing theirAirbus A340-300 fleet. Over time, this route has been flown byAirbus A340-600 andA330-300 aircraft, and is now regularly served by theAirbus A350-900.
In 1999, plans were announced for the construction of a regional carrier concourse (present-day Concourse E) and for the expansion of Concourses A and D. This expansion was designed by The Wilson Group and LS3P Associates Ltd.[17] In 2002, the new 32-gate Concourse E opened.[18] The airline closed its Concourse DUS Airways Club location in 2002. In 2003, the main ticketing hall was expanded to the east, providing 13 additional ticketing counters and a new security checkpoint; Concourse D was expanded by an additional nine gates.
Following the 2005 acquisition ofUS Airways byAmerica West Airlines in areverse takeover,[19] Charlotte remained the primary domestic hub for the airline. The majority of US Airways' international routes remained at the airline's second-largest hub,Philadelphia.
Between 2007 and 2015, the airport completed $1.5 billion worth of construction projects, part of which later became known as the "CLT 2015" plan. These projects included a new airport entrance roadway, new hourly parking decks with a centralized rental car facility, a regional intermodal cargo facility, an expansion of the east-side terminal lobby, new checked baggage handling systems, and additional space for concessions and shops.[20]
Construction of the airport's fourth runway began in spring 2007. At 9,000 feet (2,700 m) long, the new "third parallel" allows three independent approaches for arrivals even from the south, potentially increasing capacity by 33 percent. The new runway lies west of the three existing runways. The construction of the fourth runway required the relocation of parts of Wallace Neel Road (which had been the Western boundary of the airport) to an alignment located farther to the west. Construction occurred in two phases. The first phase, which began in March 2007, included grading and drainage. The second phase included the paving and lighting of the runway. In August 2009, crews paved the last section.[21]
Main atrium of the airportConcourse A of the airportConcourse B of the airportConcourse D of the airportConcourse E of the airport
In 2015, airport officials formally announced the completion of the "CLT 2015" plan, and kicked off construction of the new Destination CLT airport development plan.[22] Destination CLT represents a total $2.5 billion investment into the future growth of the airport.
Concourse A North, a nine-gate expansion of Concourse A, was completed in summer 2018.Air Canada,JetBlue,United,Southwest,Frontier, andSpirit moved their operations to Concourse A North upon its completion.[23] A digital artwork titled "Interconnected," byRefik Anadol, is prominently featured on three massive display screens in Concourse A North. The artwork draws from the airport's data network of aircraft movements and turns the data into an always-changing visual artwork. The main 139-foot (42 m)-long screen is one of the largest digital artworks of its kind in the world.[24]
In late 2019, the new terminal roadway was opened. The new roadway has sixteen lanes over two levels, with departures traffic using the elevated level and arrivals traffic utilizing the ground level. The eight lanes on each level are split into five outer lanes for personal vehicles, and three inner lanes for commercial and airport vehicles.[25] Some components of the project, namely the skybridges from the hourly parking deck and rental car facility, the glass canopy over the roadway, and some lanes on the departure level will not be finished until the terminal lobby project is complete.[26]
In November 2019, the East Terminal Expansion opened. The expansion added 51,000 square feet (4,700 m2), primarily of passenger amenity space, across three levels. The main level of the expansion is "The Plaza," a food court. The Plaza's artistic centerpiece is a hanging artwork entitled "Loops" byChristian Moeller. "Loops" became a part of the project through a partnership between the airport and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Arts and Science Council.[27] The upper level of the East Terminal Expansion includes aCenturion Lounge.
The airport announced that it had served 50.2 million passengers in 2019, a new record for the airport.[28]
Destination CLT includes a $90 million terminal renovation project of Concourses A, B, C, D, and the Atrium. Aspects of the renovations include the replacement of carpet with terrazzo, upgraded lighting, remodeled bathrooms, and new seats with charging in every seat.[29] Concourse B renovations wrapped up in 2019.[30]
With the conclusion of the terminal roadway and curb front construction, work on the terminal lobby renovation and expansion began. The $600 million project is projected to be completed in 2025. The project will consolidate existing security checkpoints A, B, C, D, and E into three larger and more efficient checkpoints. The baggage claim and ticketing areas will be completely gutted and remodeled.Raymond Kaskey's "Queen Charlotte" statue will be moved to a prominent position within the new "Queen's Court" area in the expanded lobby. After the lobby renovation and expansion is complete, a 146,000-square-foot (13,600 m2) glass canopy will be constructed over the roadway and pedestrian skybridges and tunnels will be built connecting the terminal to the hourly parking/rental car facility complex.[31]
Separate from the Destination CLT family of projects, theFAA is building a new 367-foot (112 m) control tower south of the CLT passenger terminal to replace the existing 150 feet (46 m) tower north of the terminal. When complete, the tower will be the second-tallest air traffic control tower in the United States and the ninth-tallest in the world.[32] The new tower is now functioning and in use.[33]
Planning is currently underway for the construction of a fourth parallel runway between existing runways 18R/36L and 18C/36C. The runway, projected to cost $1 billion, is slated to be 10,000 feet (3,000 m) long. It broke ground in June 2023 and construction will complete in 2027.[34][35] Previously, a 12,000-foot runway had been planned; however, the airport reversed course due to practicality and cost considerations.[36]
Future terminal expansions included under the Destination CLT umbrella include Phase II of the Concourse A Expansion, Phase VIII of the Concourse E expansion, and expansions to Concourses B and C. These expansions are projected to cost roughly $1.1 billion and are not expected to be complete until 2026. 8-10 gates are expected to be added to Concourse B, 10-12 gates to Concourse C, and 10 gates in the expansion of Concourse A farther north. Phase VIII of the Concourse E expansion will add 34,000 square feet (3,200 m2) of hold room to the concourse. This phase of the expansion accommodates gates already in operation; however, passengers must walk under temporary canopies to access the aircraft parked at these gates.[37]
The construction of theCATSLYNX Silver Line, expected to be complete in 2030, will bringlight rail service to the airport. The airport plans to construct an automated people mover to connect the terminal to the light rail station, which will be located at the airport's Destination District just north of the terminal.[38]
CLT has one terminal with 124 gates on five concourses.[39] All five concourses are connected to the central terminal building housing ticketing, security, and baggage claim.[39]
Concourse B has 16 gates and serves exclusively American mainline domestic flights.[39]
Concourse C has 18 gates and serves exclusively American mainline domestic flights.[39]
Concourse D has 13 gates and servesAmerican,Lufthansa, andVolaris.[39] All international flights without customs preclearance are processed at Concourse D.
Concourse E has 45 gates. Concourse E is the home ofAmerican Eagle's CLT operation, which is the largest express flight operation in the world. In spring of 2023,Contour, who has an interline agreement with American, moved itsEssential Air Service flights into the E1-E3 gates in the concourse.[39]
American has twoAdmirals Club locations in Concourses B & C.[40] AnAmerican ExpressCenturion Lounge is located in the Plaza between Concourse D & E.[41] The Club CLT Lounge is located on the walkway to the A North Concourse. It is accessible toPriority Pass and Lounge Key passholders as well as individuals purchasing a day pass. A new 14,000 square-foot Delta Sky Club is located in the new expansion of Concourse A.[42]
TheCharlotte Area Transit System (CATS) operates two bus routes from the airport terminal: Route 5-Airport (Sprinter) to Uptown Charlotte/CTC and Route 60-Tyvola Road toLYNX Tyvola station.[49] There is also bus service to the air cargo center, maintenance facilities, and old terminal via Route 10-West Boulevard to the Charlotte Transportation Center in center city Charlotte.[50] The proposedLynx Silver Line would serve the airport, traveling along a route that largely follows the Sprinter route.
Located in front of the airport terminal, the Rental Car Facility operates on the three lower levels of the Hourly Deck and has a combined 3,000 cars from eight rental car companies. The level 2 lobby includes customer counters and kiosks from the following companies:Advantage,Alamo,Avis,Budget,Dollar,Enterprise,Hertz andNational.[51][52]
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is one of a small number of major "hub" airports in the world that has an aviation museum located on the field.Sullenberger Aviation Museum, established in 1992, has a collection of over 50 aircraft, including aDC-3 that is painted inPiedmont Airlines livery. The museum also has an aviation library with over 9,000 volumes and a very extensive photography collection. Rare aircraft in the collection include one of only two surviving Douglas D-558 Skystreak aircraft and the second (and oldest surviving) U.S.-built Harrier, which was used as the flight-test aircraft and accumulated over 5,000 flight-test hours. In January 2011, the museum acquiredN106US, the US Airways Airbus A320 ditched by captainChesley Sullenberger asUS Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. This aircraft, which was delivered on June 10, 2011, is about 35 years younger than any other commercial airliner on display in a museum.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is one of the few airports in the United States with a public viewing area.[53] Here, visitors can watch planes land and taxi to and from runway 18R/36L in addition to providing a view of runway 18C/36C and concourse A. There are also bathroom facilities, a location for food trucks, a restoredF-4 Phantom II on display and a children's playground. The Overlook is a popular spot for aviation enthusiasts and plane spotters.[54]
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a smoke-free facility, which means that smoking is prohibited inside the terminal building, including all restaurants, bars, lounges, and airline clubs. This is in accordance with the North Carolina Smoke-Free Law, which bans smoking in most of the public places and workplaces. However, this does not mean that smokers have no options at CLT. The Charlotte airport smoking area[55] is easily accessible from inside and outside the terminal using the elevators or stairs near Door 1A or Door 1B.
On September 11, 1974,Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crashed on final approach en route from Charleston, South Carolina. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was a "lack of altitude awareness" of the pilots at critical points during the approach. Of 82 people on board, only 13 survived the crash and fire; three of those died within a month of the accident.[110]
On October 25, 1986, Piedmont Airlines Flight 467 overran the runway, damaging the airplane beyond repair. Of the 119 people on board, three passengers sustained serious injuries, and three crew members and 28 passengers sustained minor injuries in the incident. There were no fatalities.[111] An NTSB report was released, which concluded that "crew coordination was deficient due to the first officer's failure to call the captain's attention to aspects of the approach that were not in accordance with Piedmont operating procedures."[112]
On December 10, 1997, aBeechcraft King Air, operated by Spitfire Sales and Leasing crashed on approach to runway 36L colliding with trees and the ground. One crewmember was killed.[114]
On January 8, 2003,US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashed on takeoff while en route toGreenville-Spartanburg International Airport, killing all 21 people aboard. The flight was operated byAir Midwest, an independent airline operating under aUS Airways Express codesharing agreement. The cause of the accident was due to the center of gravity (CG) calculations used a reference from 1936 and didn't take into account that people in general had become bigger over time. This resulted in the 23 checked bags - two of which were exceptionally heavy- moving the CG 5% further aft than allowed. Additionally, maintenance to the elevator cables 3 days before, during routine check by a 3rd party contractor, were done incorrectly by a mechanic in training who had not worked on this type of aircraft before, and was talked through it by the instructing maintenance supervisor - who was also the quality assurance inspector. He left out several critical steps when talking the mechanic trainee through the process. This limited the pitch down on the aircraft and prevented the cockpit crew from correcting the CG problem. Since the plane had already had 8 previous cycles after the scheduled maintenance, it was determined that just the CG miscalculation OR the improper setting of the elevator cable would not have caused the crash. Only the two issues together caused the crash.[115]
On February 15, 2017, a CRJ-700, operated by American Eagle, struck a deer while taking off. The aircraft declared an emergency and returned to Charlotte due to a fuel leak. None of the 44 passengers or crew were injured.[116]
On June 28, 2023, aDelta Air LinesBoeing 717 fromAtlanta landed at CLT without its nose gear deployed on runway 36L. None of the 101 passengers and crew on board were injured.[117]
On September 28, 2025, a suspectedstowaway was found dead inside the landing gear compartment of anAmerican Airlines flight that had arrived at the airport from Europe.[118]
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