Icelandair Expands Seasonal Service :
The busy summer travel season continues to break records at RDU, with the airport hitting a pandemic-era high for the fourth month in a row. 1,106,030 passengers flew through RDU in July, an increase of 3% over June and 14% over July 2021.
“RDU is having its busiest summer since 2020 as we continue to serve more passengers and add more destinations,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “The airport will build on that success by incentivizing airlines to offer new nonstop routes to the places our guests want to visit for business and leisure.”
Icelandair Expansion: Icelandair is extending its seasonal schedule at RDU by adding four flights a week from Nov. 1 through Jan. 7. The nonstop flight to Reykjavik had been offered four times a week from May through October. Icelandair based its decision on strong ticket sales and demand from travelers since the route launched in May.
Incentives Program: The Airport Authority will launch a new comprehensive Air Service Incentive Program (ASIP) to keep RDU competitive with other airports and address challenges faced by the industry as it recovers from the pandemic. The goals of the new program are to incentivize the resumption of discontinued service and remain a competitive option for existing or new airlines to introduce flights to unserved destinations at RDU. The ASIP will provide incentives in the form of marketing support and/or waivers of fees and certain airport charges. The previous ASIP helped RDU secure a new airline and a new international destination when Icelandair launched service to Reykjavik in May 2022.
Taxi Service: The Airport Authority extended its agreement with Taxi Taxi to provide continued on-demand taxi service to RDU guests. The current one-year agreement, scheduled to expire in September, was extended by the Board for six months. Taxi service is growing rapidly at RDU, with monthly trips increasing from 5,140 to 9,586 between October 2021 and June 2022. The Authority plans to contract with a long-term provider in early 2023.
Electric Vehicles: RDU is expanding its fleet of electric vehicles with the purchase of two zero-emission, battery-powered Ford transit vans. The new vans will replace two gasoline-powered vehicles that are being retired due to age and mileage. The transition to fully electric vehicles will move the Authority closer to reducing fleet emissions. The Board previously approved the purchase of four additional zero-emission shuttle buses, doubling its current fleet.
Road Work: Airport employees and guests may experience brief delays over the next month as National Guard Drive is repaved from Aviation Parkway to Haleys Branch Road. The road will remain open at all times but may be limited to one-way traffic for short periods of time. RDU recommends planning for extra drive time if you are using the Park Economy 3 lot.