CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Douglas International Airport saw a record amount of travel in 2023.
Airport officials said more than 53 million passengers traveled through CLT last year, breaking a record of 50 million fliers set before the pandemic in 2019.
That 12% increase is the airport’s highest one since 2010.
“The growth we are experiencing is a perfect storm of multiple factors,” said CLT CEO Haley Gentry. “It’s a unique time in history. The strength of CLT as American Airlines’ second largest hub is driving the Airport’s overall growth. Charlotte is an efficient spoke in the airline’s hub system and we are critical to their future growth.”
In addition to the record passenger numbers, the airport reports more than 539,000 flights went in and out of Charlotte. That’s a 6% increase from the year before.
As far as international travel, the airport reported a 20.9% increase from the year before.
With a new year comes more changes for the Charlotte airport, including the expansion. The airport’s $3.1 billion expansion will renovate nearly 200,000 square feet of space and add 175,000 more. For perspective, 175,000 more square feet is like adding the whole Biltmore Estate to the airport’s footprint.
It’s slated for completion by next year.
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