Parking rates are going up at Raleigh-Durham International Airport
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- RDU board raised daily parking rates, effective April 1, 2026.
- Parking projected to bring nearly $110M, about 39% of airport operating income.
- Airport’s new annual budget assumes a conservative 2% decline in passenger traffic.
It’s going to be more expensive to park at Raleigh-Durham International Airport starting April 1.
The RDU Airport Authority board approved a budget Thursday that raises parking rates anywhere from $1.50 to $2.50 a day, depending on the lot or deck.
Parking is the largest source of revenue generated by the airport. With the higher fees, RDU expects to collect nearly $110 million from parking in the coming fiscal year, nearly 39% of what the airport will make in fees, leases and other income.
Here are the four basic parking options and what they will cost you:
▪ Central: This includes most of the spaces in the parking decks as well as a large surface lot between the terminals. The rate will rise from $21 per day to $22.75.
▪ Premier: These covered ground-level spaces in the decks are closest to the terminals and cost more. The rate will rise from $32 per day to $34.
▪ Express: A lot on the north side of the airport campus where customers are picked up or dropped off at their cars, rather than a central pickup point. The rate will rise from $17 per day to $18.50.
▪ Economy 3: By year’s end, this surface lot will have about 11,000 spaces off National Guard Drive near the Aviation Parkway exit from Interstate 40. The rate will rise from $12 per day to $14.50.
RDU will for the first time offer spaces in the big lot for oversized vehicles, such as RVs and trucks with trailers. Those spots will cost $28 a day.
Before you leave for the airport, check www.rdu.com to see where parking spots are available. You can book and pay for a space at least 24 hours in advance to guarantee a spot in the lot of your choice, even when the electronic signs around the airport say the decks are “closed.”
Budget reflects softening demand for air travel
RDU expects it will cost $155.5 million to operate the airport in the coming year, up 6.9% from a year earlier. In addition to parking, RDU will increase various fees it charges airlines and expects higher income from new restaurants and shops that recently opened in the terminals.
Beyond day-to-day operations, RDU is also budgeting $325 million toward the $2.6 billion in construction projects it has underway, including a new runway and the expansion of Terminal 2 and the Economy 3 lot.
Air travel through RDU grew steadily in the years before the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020, and then picked up again as the pandemic waned. A record 15.6 million passengers flew in and out of RDU in 2025.
But that growth is beginning to level off. Airport forecasts predict a 1% increase in passengers next year, said Ron Kapocius, the chief financial officer, but to be conservative the airport budget assumes a 2% decline.
And that forecast was made before the war in the Middle East sent fuel prices soaring, which could hurt people’s travel budgets and result in higher ticket prices, Kapocius said.
“Airlines are going to have to try to recoup something,” he told the Airport Authority board. “And it was already getting soft this year.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
