RDU Set for Full Pandemic Recovery This Year
- April 13, 2023
- Posted by: Jacob Rigg
- Category: Blog
RTA members and partners,
For several years, RTA’s highest priority has been the identification of sustainable funding for RDU International Airport.
Our top priority did not change, even in the midst of the pandemic. The regional business community took the long view that the global connectivity and economic engine that RDU provides was not going to change as we look 10 and 20 years out.
While the proportion of air travel has migrated more to leisure than business over the past year so, our larger assessment certainly appears to be correct.
Michael Landguth, Raleigh-Durham International Airport CEO, recently said that “I believe that in 2023 we’re going to fully recover from the pandemic in terms of overall passenger numbers.”
RDU International is predicting 14.7 million passengers for the current fiscal year, and more than 16 million by 2026-27. To supplement this predicted increase, the airport is increasing their staff by 8% over the next year. Both the number of airlines serving RDU, and the overall number of flights and destinations, continue to increase, including new nonstop flights to Chicago, Houston and Kansas coming this summer. For a full list of nonstop flights visit the RDU website.
RTA continues to push for maximum federal funding support for a new, longer primary runway (5L-32R), and our members are encouraged to send letters to FAA using this simplified template.
Kudos to our partners at RDU for their leadership in connecting the extended Triangle market to the rest of America and beyond.
Let’s get moving,
Joe
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director
RTA is the voice of the regional business community on transportation
