RDU set new passenger traffic records in June and July and welcomed more travelers than ever before during a July 4th holiday. Traffic hit a monthly high June with more than 1.4 million passengers and broke that record in July, with nearly 1.5 million passengers flying through the airport. Traffic got a boost in July from the Independence Day holiday, with nearly 329,000 passengers traveling between July 1 and July 7 – an increase of 9.5 percent over the same weekend in 2023.
“The airport is experiencing its busiest summer yet, with millions of passengers selecting RDU for their travels,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We anticipate a busy finish to the peak summer travel season as we continue to add new destinations and give travelers more options than they’ve ever had to choose from.”
New Breeze Routes: Breeze Airways will begin service to two new destinations in Florida in time for winter and spring break getaways. Breeze will start nonstop flights to Sarasota-Bradenton in November and Daytona Beach in February. The Sarasota route will operate on Mondays and Fridays beginning Nov. 22. Daytona Beach service will begin on Feb. 13 and fly on Thursdays and Sundays. Breeze will also begin a new nonstop route to New England, flying to New Haven, CT on Mondays and Fridays starting Feb. 7.
Stormwater Management Permit: The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority has received state approval to build a sustainable stormwater management system that will be the largest of its kind in North Carolina. The innovative submerged gravel wetland system will treat stormwater from the Park Economy 3 (PE3) expansion project and is expected to be more effective than traditional stormwater management systems in removing pollutants from stormwater runoff. The submerged gravel wetlands were designed in collaboration with North Carolina State University to treat stormwater associated with the PE3 project. The Airport Authority received the stormwater management permit from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality in June, allowing construction to begin. The PE3 expansion will add approximately 8,700 additional spaces to the existing lot.
TSA PreCheck: Travelers who want to expedite the security screening process can now enroll in the TSA Trusted Traveler Program or renew TSA PreCheck through CLEAR at RDU. TSA PreCheck members benefit from processing through dedicated lanes with the convenience of keeping their shoes, belts and light jackets on at the security checkpoint and keeping electronics and 3-1-1 compliant liquids in carry-on bags. CLEAR offers in-person TSA PreCheck enrollments Monday – Sunday from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. More information is available on the CLEAR/TSA PreCheck website at https://tsaprecheckbyclear.tsa.dhs.gov/.