The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority presented to its Board of Directors Thursday its proposed Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Budget and Business Plan. The new fiscal year begins April 1. The proposed budget can be found on RDU’s website.
The $251 million budget recommendation directly supports the Authority’s Business Plan, which identifies 20 strategic objectives – including several capital projects originally outlined in the Authority’s Vision 2040 master plan. Approved in 2016, Vision 2040 frames RDU’s short-, medium-, and long-term development plans needed to meet future aviation demand.
“Our strategic focus – on Customer Experience, Fiscal Responsibility and Operational Excellence – continues to drive our priority projects for the year,” Airport Authority President & CEO Michael Landguth writes in the Business Plan. “In 2019, those include the preservation and eventual replacement of our primary runway, 5L/23R. This signature project requires significant funding at the federal and state levels. We are up for the challenge and we are encouraged by the community’s support as we prepare for this critical investment for the Research Triangle region.”
The proposed 2019-2020 airport budget calls for a variety of airfield and ground transportation improvements, as well as development in both terminals 1 and 2 and aboard RDU’s general aviation campus.
Parking improvements: The proposed budget calls for daily maximum fee adjustments at each of the airport’s ParkRDU facilities, as well as activation of Lot 2 for ParkRDU Express, a new, “trunk-to-curb” express parking option just minutes from the terminals. Additional details on ParkRDU Express will be presented at the Mar. 21 board meeting. The budget recommends maintaining existing hourly rates for all lots.
The Authority has not raised parking fees since 2016, and the new recommendations align with current fee levels at peer mid-sized airports. RDU plans to launch its online booking tool in May, where travelers can lock in the guaranteed lowest rate available.
Proposed ParkRDU daily maximum fees:
- Premier: $22/day
- Central: $17/day
- Express: $12/day
- Economy 3: $8/day
- Economy 4: $7/day
The Board of Directors will vote on the proposed budget at its regularly-scheduled meeting Thursday, Mar. 21.