It is that time of the year when airlines and airports reflect on what worked in 2024 and what needs to happen to make 2025 even more successful. While Raleigh-Durham International Airport has enjoyed a successful year and expects it to be record-breaking, the team has already lined up more airlines, flights and nonstop destinations for 2025.
It was a good year but 2025 will be better
North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is the state’s second-largest airport, headed only by Charlotte Douglas International, and is ranked 35th in passenger arrivals and departures in the United States. In November, the airport handled more than 1.2 million passengers, an increase of nearly 2% over November 2023.
Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock
In 2023, the airport processed a record 14.5 million passengers, and it powers the region’s economy with a $17 billion economic impact that supports more than 85,000 local and regional jobs. Last Thursday, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority President and CEO Michael Landguth said that as a potentially record-setting year draws to a close, the Authority would like to thank the millions of travelers who have made RDU part of their travel plans in 2024.
“RDU will welcome even more new airlines, flights and nonstop destinations next year, giving passengers more travel options than ever before. We are proud to serve the Research Triangle region and look forward to connecting residents and visitors to the people and places they most want to visit in 2025.”
Photo: Jason Schronce | Shutterstock
Let’s have a look at the 2024 Report Card
Raleigh-Durham has produced its own three-part 2024 report card, which looks back at what has been achieved this year and offers insights into what travelers can expect to see next year.
How international operations are changing in 2025
With a base at Raleigh-Durham International, Avelo Airlines is an important carrier, so it is good news that it will launch two new international routes from RDU in February 2025. The new services will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays from mid-November through September, with nonstop flights to Montego Bay, Jamacia and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Photo: Copa
Air Canada begins nonstop seasonal service between the Research Triangle region and Vancouver in June, flying on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through September. In 2023, seven airlines launched or announced new international services at RDU, including:
Photo: Raleigh Durham International Airport
An important time of the year to shorten wait times
With the holiday season in full swing, RDU is working with its partner agencies and airlines to anticipate traffic volumes and staffing needs through the New Year. It is also working to manage wait times at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) controlled security checkpoints.
Photo: David Tran | Shutterstock
The airport freed up capacity in Terminal 2 by moving three airlines to Terminal 1 and has expanded the Terminal 2 security checkpoint twice since 2019, increasing its capacity by 40%. Raleigh-Durham also offers TSA PreCheck and CLEAR for passengers who want to expedite the security screening process, and travelers can enroll in one or both programs daily in either terminal.
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority said it will continue to address airport congestion in the long term as it plans future terminal expansions and the addition of more gates.
RDU is holding public workshops on its Environmental Compliance
In December, the Airport Authority held the first of two public workshops on the Environmental Compliance Review (ECR) for the John Brantley Boulevard Extension project. The Authority is in the early stages of the ECR, and the workshops are an opportunity for the community to learn about the project and the ECR process and to submit comments for consideration.
Photo: Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
During the ECR process, staff will conduct an analysis and develop a report that will be made available to the Board before construction approval. Raleigh-Durham’s ECR is the first of its kind among airports nationwide and exceeds federal and state environmental requirements. The second public workshop to gather additional public comment will be held in 2025 and more information about the ECR is posted on rdu.com.