Charlotte Douglas International Airport set a record with 58.8 million arriving and departing passengers in 2024, marking a 10% increase from the previous record of 53.4 million set in 2023.
CLT has grown consistently over the years except for the pandemic years of 2020 to 2022.
Here are some key increases in CLT traffic:
- International travel increased 13% increase to 2.4 million in 2024. The airport offers 42 international destinations.
- Aircraft operations grew by 11%, reaching 596,583 arrivals and departures.
- The majority of the nearly 59 million passengers are connecting, making up approximately 70% of the total.
Local passengers spiked consistently throughout the year, with 23 of the 25 busiest days on record occurring in 2024. On May 16, the airport set a record for the highest single-day local passenger count, with the Transportation Security Administration screening 45,304 passengers. The top three busiest travel days for total passengers on record are May 24, Oct. 20 and Dec. 1, 2024.
“CLT remains one of the busiest and most efficient airports in the world,” said CLT CEO Haley Gentry.
In 2025, significant progress is anticipated with the expansion of the Destination CLT terminal projects. Construction on the Terminal Lobby Expansion which began in 2019, will wrap up later this year. The project added 175,000 square feet to the lobby and renovated 191,000 square feet of existing space.
TSA Checkpoint 2 is set to open this spring.
Renovations are progressing on Concourses D and E, including upgrades to the concourses’ restrooms and terrazzo flooring. The Concourse D renovations are expected to be completed by the fall of 2026, while Concourse E is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2027.
Construction of the $1 billion new runway is in the early stages. Grading will be underway through mid-2026 and approximately 5 million cubic yards of runway and taxiway fill remain to be placed. It is expected to open in fall 2027.