Charlotte airport proposes new gates and tunnel in airline agreement
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Concourse C expansion and a passenger tunnel are parts of a new bundle of construction projects Charlotte Douglas International Airport is proposing.
Why it matters: The airport revealed nearly a dozen planned improvements Wednesday as part of the airport's Airline Use and Lease Agreement (AULA) with its signatory airlines — American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United. The project would be called CLT Beyond.
Catch up quick: AULA negotiations were extended earlier this year for up to one year.
- The AULA oversees airport-airline relations, including maintenance and repair responsibilities, property rights, operations and ensuring that financial obligations are met.
Driving the news: A public presentation will be made Monday at a Charlotte City Council meeting. It will be part of the Council Action Review portion at 5pm in Room 267 at the Government Center. The city of Charlotte will also stream the meeting.
- Council will review the proposal and vote on it at a subsequent meeting.
By the numbers: An airport spokesperson declined to share the estimated cost of CLT Beyond.
What to expect: CLT Beyond calls for:
- New Concourse C gates
- A passenger tunnel connecting the main terminal to the expanded Concourse C
- A renovated international arrivals area
- Planning and design for a future expansion of the atrium as well as international gates.
- CLT's airfield would undergo renovations to prepare for the addition of its $1 billion Fourth Parallel Runway, which is expected to open in fall 2027.
- Infrastructure upgrades — including electrical systems — are also part of the package.
Context: CLT's last concourse expansion added 10 gates in September 2024 as part of the $241 million Concourse A phase II expansion.
- At the time, plans were in the works to add 10-12 gates to Concourse C over the next 10-12 years, then-CLT chief infrastructure officer Jack Christine said.
- There were also plans for an additional 10-12 gates in Concourse B, plus six to eight more gates in Concourse A as part of a phase III expansion. It's unclear where plans for A and B stand.
Zoom out: American Airlines recently announced plans to build its largest Admirals Club (more than 40,000 square feet) in the mezzanine above the atrium.
- The airport is also in the midst of renovations on Concourse D and Concourse E. The former is expected to wrap up by the end of the year and the latter should be done by March 2027.
Go deeper: Direct flights from Charlotte