Airport to Add More Electric Buses to its Fleet
RDU started 2024 with record-setting passenger traffic in January. More than 967,600 travelers flew through the airport last month. That was 10.5% higher than January 2023, and 4.6% higher than January 2019.
“RDU continues to grow in 2024 with the addition of a new airline, new nonstop destinations and more flights to the cities Triangle-area travelers most want to visit,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “January is typically the slowest month of the year at RDU, yet we started 2024 with record-setting traffic, indicating it will be a busy year for air travel.”
Federal Grant Funding: The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that RDU will receive $12 million in Airport Terminal Program grant funding for the Terminal 2 landside program. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will help pay for a portion of the Terminal 2 security checkpoint, baggage claim and Federal Inspection Station expansion.
International Travel: RDU added another new international airline and destination earlier this month when Copa Airlines announced direct service to Panama City, Panama. Flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays on a 160-seat Boeing 737-800. RDU has added four new international airlines and three new international destinations in recent months. Air France welcomed its first flight from Paris in October, Lufthansa will begin service to Frankfurt, Germany in June and Aeromexico will launch flights to Mexico City in July.
Domestic Flights: Avelo Airlines announced Thursday it will launch nonstop service to Albany, New York on May 10, a currently unserved destination for RDU. The year-round route will fly Mondays and Fridays. Feb. 15 marks the one-year anniversary of the airline’s base operations at RDU. Avelo currently has two aircraft and approximately 90 crewmembers based at the airport.
Breeze Airways is adding three new seasonal routes from RDU: Syracuse, New York; Burlington, Vermont – a new destination for RDU; and Portland, Maine. The Burlington route will fly Thursdays and Sundays, starting May 23. Syracuse will also begin May 23 and fly Thursdays and Sundays, and Portland, Maine will fly Mondays and Fridays starting May 24. Breeze now serves 16 destinations from RDU.
Electric Buses: The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority will expand its electric vehicle fleet by purchasing six additional zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) electric buses. The buses are expected to be in service by this fall and are in addition to the four ZEV buses the Authority already operates. The buses will be used primarily to shuttle passengers from RDU’s economy lots to the terminals. RDU became the first public entity in the Research Triangle region to deploy electric buses in 2019.