RDU CEO Asks Customers to Advocate for Increase in Passenger Facility Charge
Raleigh-Durham International Airport welcomed 443,374 departing passengers in February – a 9.4 percent increase compared to the same month last year.
“RDU’s passenger growth signals the importance of securing funding to support capital improvement projects all across the airport campus,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “Our region’s aviation demand continues to require significant investment into key assets, such as the replacement of our primary runway. That is why I’m asking RDU’s customers to join us in advocating for increased airport funding through raising the cap on the Passenger Facility Charge.”
Airport budget approved: The Authority Board of Directors voted Thursday to approve a recommended $251 million budget for fiscal year 2019-2020. The budget includes significant capital investment on the airfield, in ground transportation, as well as development in both Terminal 1 and 2 and RDU’s new corporate general aviation campus – as originally identified in RDU’s Vision 2040 master plan.
The approved budget is now available to read at RDU.com.
Parking improvements on the way: The board authorized Thursday two new parking resources for customers – an online pre-booking tool and ParkRDU Express, a new trunk-to-curb mid-tier option just minutes from the terminals. Both are scheduled to debut May 1.
The board also approved new fee levels for all public parking options. The new daily maximum fees go into effect April 1.
- Premier: $22/day
- Central: $15/day
- Express: $12/day
- Economy 3: $8/day
- Economy 4: $7/day
Support for a Passenger Facility Charge increase: Landguth spoke Thursday about the Authority’s recent visit to meet with the North Carolina Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. in support for raising the cap on the federal Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). Funding from a PFC increase would support investment in the necessary replacement of runway 5L-23R. Landguth asked meeting attendees to contact the members of North Carolina’s Congressional delegation to vocalize support for changing the cap, which has not increased since 2000.