The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently awarded Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) a $290 million Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant to develop its fourth new runway.
The airport also will using funding toward the completion of north and south end-around taxiways and other airfield improvements that enhance safety and increase capacity.
“We are thrilled to receive this notable investment from the FAA,” CLT CEO Haley Gentry said. “The funding will enable the airport to continue progress on this crucial and nationally significant infrastructure project, boosting capacity and operational efficiency.”
The airport broke ground in 2023 on the runway project, and construction is expected to be completed by the fall of 2027.
The new runway will allow the airport to expand flight capacity while reducing delays and will have a significant impact on capacity at the airport and system wide. Other benefits include improving safety by addressing an area of increased risk of collision or runway incursion.
If CLT does not add a fourth runway, average aircraft delays will increase 58 percent, or 12 minutes, over the next 15 years, according to benefit-cost analysis the city of Charlotte conducted.
CLT has the highest share of connecting passengers in the United States.