As the fourth quarter of 2018 begins, the number of people boarding planes is up 10.3 percent over 2017. During the month of September, 461,017 passengers departed RDU, a decrease of 0.5 percent when compared to September 2017. This slight decrease is attributed to travel impacts related to Hurricane Florence, which affected an estimated 47,859 departing passengers at RDU during the 4-day event.
Load factors, or the amount of seats occupied per flight, average 82.6 percent for the year and average daily departures are up 6.5 percent when compared to 2017.
“As growth and demand continues to intensify here at RDU and throughout the Triangle, work to begin critical projects is increasingly important so that we can continue to serve our customers and support the region’s economy,” said Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Landguth.
New Flights Launch
The week of November 15, Frontier Airlines will launch service to four new sunny and warm destinations, with multiple flights each week. Frontier will also begin service to Cancun and Phoenix.
New destinations Include:
- Palm Beach, Florida – Beginning November 15th
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – Beginning November 16th
- Montego Bay, Jamaica – Beginning November 17th
- Fort Myers, Florida – Beginning November 17th
Refresh Construction Projects
RDU continues to update operations to keep pace with growing customer demand. Roadway construction continues on John Brantley Blvd., with temporary lane closures south of Terminal 2 scheduled to begin on Monday, Oct. 22. All roadway and parking lot construction will cease prior to the holidays and will resume in spring 2019.
Additional Refresh projects include gate-area carpet replacement, which is approximately 35 percent complete, and work is slated to begin later this year to expand the Terminal 2 security checkpoint. Learn more about Refresh projects at RDU.com/refresh.
Other Business
In other business, the board approved:
- A $2,571,188 contract amendment with Balfour Beatty for construction phases of the Terminal 2 Checkpoint Expansion project.
- A $227,721 contract amendment with WK Dickson for the planning and bidding process related to asphalt pavement improvements on International Drive, Executive Drive, and for rehabilitation of select parking lots and driveways associated with International Drive.
- A $135,737 contract change order with Balfour Beatty for additional milling and repaving work on Runway 14-32.
About the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority operates Raleigh-Durham International Airport. In 2017, 11.6 million passengers, about 32,000 people per day, flew through RDU. With 62 nonstop destinations and 9 airlines, RDU connects central North Carolina to the people and places that matter most. RDU powers our region’s economy with an $8.5 billion annual economic impact supporting 5,000 on campus and 20,000 regional jobs. RDU has the lowest average airfare of major North Carolina airports and was named the best connected medium hub airport by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s International Center for Aviation in 2016 and 2017. Learn about the Airport Authority board, including its monthly meetings.