Charlotte Douglas International Airport Operations

Welcome to the Federal Aviation Administration's community engagement video series. This video provides an overview of operations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The airport's history and its place in the local and national transportation network goes all the way back to 1936 when it was officially opened with three intersecting runways, one hanger, and a terminal used by Eastern Airlines, which began commercial air service in 1937. During World War II, like many airports throughout the country, Charlotte was operated by the US Army Air Force, which oversaw the airfield expansion, runway lengthening, and infrastructure support. In 1946, the Army returned the airport to the city of Charlotte. Today, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, also known by its three-letter identifier, CLT, is operated by the City of Charlotte Aviation Department and has continued to grow to connect the area to the world. Charlotte now serves as a hub for American Airlines and is one of the busiest airports in the country. A total of seven major US airlines, 15 regional carriers, and three foreign flag carriers operate out of CLT to 188 seasonal destinations using 124 terminal gates connecting our region to the world. The airport accounts for the majority of North Carolina's air travel and air cargo operations, providing approximately $40 billion in economic impact to North and South Carolina and 5% of North Carolina's gross domestic product. Runways are aligned to take advantage of prevailing winds in the area as determined from historical wind patterns. This is standard practice for all airports because it is safest for an aircraft to take off and land facing into the wind. CLT has three runways oriented from north to south. Runway identification is based on the compass heading the aircraft is facing as it lands or takes off. For example, runway 1836 is facing approximately 180° in one direction and 360° in the opposite direction. If you drop the zero at the end of the compass heading, you will get 18 and 36. Parallel runways are further designated with L for left, C for center, or R for right. Runway selection at the airport is determined by several factors to ensure safety and efficiency of operations. These include wind direction, weather, runway availability, airspace efficiency, and use of navigational aids such as category 2 and three instrument landing systems. The FAA oversees the safe and efficient movement of aircraft throughout the national airspace system, including air traffic into and out of CLT. The responsibilities of an air traffic controller are to ensure airplanes are safely separated from each other and from obstacles, including terrain, while maintaining the most efficient flow of air traffic. Aircraft land and depart using published procedures which are called standard terminal arrivals or STARS for landing aircraft and standard instrument departures or SIDS for departing aircraft. Let's look at a couple of examples of how aircraft use these procedures at Charlotte. Aircraft on their way to Charlotte begin their descent and are merged and sequenced called intrail which means the required lateral separation standards. These aircraft follow each other in trail approximately 3 to five miles apart depending on weather and operational conditions. In this example, aircraft arriving from northern destinations will fly intrail, descend to a waypoint along the star, and be given direction by air traffic control to the final approach to the assigned runway. As you can see, the aircraft flies parallel to the airport, which is called downwind, then turns back to the airport on the base leg that connects to the final approach. Typically, aircraft land on either runway 36 right on the east side of the airport or runway 36 left on the west side of the airport. As the aircraft turn from downwind to final, the lateral separation is less than the required 3 mi. To maintain safe separation, aircraft are separated by 1,000 ft vertically. Therefore, aircraft east of the airport are slightly lower than those aircraft on the west side. For aircraft from the northeast, as they descend on the downwind portion of the procedure, they turn to establish a stable approach. Depending on the runway in use, number of aircraft in trail to land, and the prevailing weather conditions, aircraft may be aligned on final approach as far as 20 m away, which can include flying over neighborhoods away from the airport. Now, let's look at a typical aircraft departure in north flow. In this example, the aircraft is taking off from runway 36 center going to New York. Before an aircraft takes off, air traffic control gives it instructions on the heading to use. This guides the aircraft on the initial portion of its flight, exiting the Charlotte airspace on its way to the N route airspace. As you can see in this animation, aircraft fly towards a waypoint on a SID that will ultimately guide them to the Nroot airspace. Air traffic controllers continuously manage the busy airspace at Charlotte, keeping arrivals and departures safely separated vertically and laterally. The airport has a long-standing and comprehensive noise program. Its first part 150 airport noise compatibility program, a voluntary study done by the airport, was implemented in the late 1980s. Subsequently, the airport implemented a noise management program, including home buyouts, noise mitigation, and property reszoning. Nearly 1,000 homes, six churches, and three schools received sound insulation, and 400 properties located in high noise zones were purchased. In 2017, the airport and FAA established the airport community roundt or ACR to provide neighboring communities with a forum to discuss concerns regarding aircraft noise. Most recently, the ACR worked collaboratively to raise the altitude of aircraft on the downwind leg by 500 ft. At the time of this video, the airport is in the process of updating its part 150 study and is anticipated to submit its final document to the FAA in late 2025. The study update includes a comprehensive review of the airport's noise abatement program and suggested mitigation efforts to be reviewed by the FAA. Detailed information about this program can be found on the airport project website shown here. As the region continues to grow, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is evolving to meet increasing demand both on the ground and in the air. Major investments are underway to modernize the airport. In 2022, CLT replaced its air traffic control tower with a new state-of-the-art facility. Runway 0523 was recently closed and decommissioned to enhance overall safety and operational efficiency. Looking ahead, a fourth parallel runway is scheduled to open in late 2027, significantly increasing the airport's capacity and streamlining aircraft movement. In partnership with CLT, the FAA continuously evaluates airspace and arrival and departure procedures to ensure they remain safe, efficient, and aligned with the airport's long-term goals. The FAA and the city of Charlotte work collaboratively to ensure that CLT can accommodate the existing and forecasted air traffic growth through strategic planning, airport improvements, and improvements in the airspace. To learn more about how the FAA engages with communities, please visit our website.