Charlotte Douglas International Airport will add a new airline in 2027

Driving the news: Alaska Airlines will begin nonstop service to Seattle on June 10, 2027. The daily flight will operate year round on a Boeing 737.

Context: Alaska Airlines is the fifth largest airline in the U.S. It covers more than 120 destinations across five countries.

Zoom out: Other recent carrier changes include the return of JetBlue earlier this year, the addition of Etihad Airways to the Middle East earlier this year. Sun Country also added domestic service in April 2023.

Between the lines: CLT does not have a formalized Air Service Development Program, CLT CEO Haley Gentry tells Axios. This means Alaska Airlines, and other carriers, typically seek out CLT, not the other way around.

• CLT also doesn't pay airlines to bring service here, Gentry says. For a North Carolina comparison, Raleigh-Durham International Airport does, as Axios has previously reported.

The big picture: Charlotte City Council approved a new Airline Use and Lease Agreement (AULA) for CLT on Monday. The deal, which is with CLT's signatory airlines (American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United) begins on Jan. 1, 2027. It also marks the start of CLT Beyond, a new capital development campaign.

• See the full lineup for CLT Beyond here.