Busier than ever: RDU airport led the nation in passenger growth last year
READ MORE
RDU International Airport’s Plans to Grow
RDU plans $3 billion worth of construction projects over the coming decade to try to keep up with the region’s growth. Much of the work is laid out in a 25-year master plan called Vision 2040 that the airport adopted in 2016. The projects will turn the airport, with its record number of passengers, into a construction zone in the coming years. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
Expand All
Raleigh-Durham International Airport was the fastest-growing large airport in the country last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
About 22% more passengers boarded planes at RDU in 2023 than the previous year, the highest growth rate among the 50 largest airports in the U.S. The next fastest growing airports were San Francisco, Washington-Dulles, Luis Muñoz Marín in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Kansas City, which all saw growth of about 18%.
Last year was a big one for RDU in many ways. The airport handled a record 14.5 million passengers and added four new airlines and flights to 25 new destinations.
That growth continues, as 2024 is on pace to be another record year. RDU will add three new international destinations this summer: Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Germany, on June 6; Copa Airlines to Panama City on June 21; and Aeromexico to Mexico City on July 1.
RDU now offers nonstop flights to 10 international destinations, the most in the airport’s history.
The airport was the 38th busiest in the country in terms of boardings last year, according to the USDOT data — an RDU record of nearly 7.3 million passengers. The busiest was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, where more than 50.8 million people boarded flights last year.
.JPG)
