Running a major international airport is complex business. And planning the annual budget for an airport? It’s not as simple as balancing your checkbook.
It takes a lot of funding to run Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority is responsible for RDU’s annual operating and capital budgets.
The Authority follows a multi-step annual process to plan, produce and approve a budget that will go into effect at the start of the airport’s fiscal year on April 1. The budget and accompanying Business Plan support our vision of delivering a world-class airport experience in alignment with our strategic goals:
- Growing responsibly to meet demand
- Elevating guest experiences
- Empowering our people
- Enriching the community
This year’s proposed budget has been submitted to the Authority Board of Directors for review. You can read the budget on RDU.com. As part of the annual budget review process, the Authority will host a public hearing on Thursday, March 6, 2025. The public is invited to attend and participate.
Not able to make it in person? RDU livestreams its public Board meetings on YouTube. And in addition to in-person comments at the public hearing, the public may submit comments and feedback regarding the draft budget to authority2026budget@rdu.com. All feedback received will be provided to the Authority Board on Monday, March 17, 2025.
Once the public hearing is complete, and the Authority Board has had time to review the proposed budget, Board members reconvene one week later to vote on approval. The final budget will be made available online, and once April 1 arrives, RDU staff get to work building for the future.