Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials unveiled the new, indoor home of the 15-foot bronze Queen Charlotte statue, and gave a preview of the new Checkpoint 1 on the east side of the Terminal Lobby Expansion that will open next month.
The crown jewel in #CLTairport's Terminal Lobby Expansion is now unveiled.
— CLT Airport (@CLTAirport) October 20, 2023
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Since the Queen Charlotte statue installation in 1990, it has moved twice. Now it has reached its final destination inside the terminal lobby, which is only about 150 feet from her original location.… pic.twitter.com/XbzV1K2YBr
The statue’s new location in the Queen’s Court area and the opening of the new checkpoint are part of the airport’s ongoing $608 million Terminal Lobby Expansion program.
The Queen Charlotte statue has been an airport staple for three decades and has had two different homes on the property since it was placed in 1990. Originally, the statue was outside of the terminal. It was moved in 2013 between the hourly parking decks, and in 2021 it was taken down and stored in a box until construction of the lobby expansion was completed.
Welcome home, Queen Charlotte! Her Majesty returned to #CLTairport this morning after wintering at Carolina Bronze in Seagrove, N.C., for a makeover. She will be enclosed in a box until she makes her royal debut at the Terminal Lobby Expansion’s completion in 2025. #CLTRoyalty pic.twitter.com/VYu9QEHHYs
— CLT Airport (@CLTAirport) June 3, 2021
“It’s a wonderful day as Queen Charlotte is back to welcome visitors to her city once again,” Charlotte Douglas' Chief Executive Officer Haley Gentry said.
Travelers may now view the 33-year-old statue while passing by or seated inside the airport in the seating that surrounds it.
And as the holiday season approaches, Checkpoint 1 will open at a crucial time for Charlotte’s growing passenger count.
CLT Chief Infrastructure Officer Jack Christine said the expansion will help with the busy travel portion of the year
“It’s going to significantly help our holiday travel, by giving us a lot more space to work with, " Christine said.
“As everybody's been in the building over the summer and, over the last couple of years, the lobby has been very, very busy. It's gonna continue to be very, very busy. But the difference now is we're gonna have a lot more square footage for folks to be able to stage and wait to, to get through the security checkpoints, ticketing those types of things,” Christine also said.
The new security checkpoint will have eight lanes, six of which will be higher-speed automated lanes. The new lanes will bring the total to 21 security lanes at the airport. Checkpoint 1 will also feature 16 travel document-checking podiums for TSA officers.
“The opening of Checkpoint 1 is a monumental achievement for the airport and will greatly enhance our ability to service the growing passenger traffic at CLT,” CLT Chief Operating Officer Jerome Woodard said in a statement.
In addition to the new security lanes, a new bottle liquid scanner will scan travelers’ liquid belongings that are larger than 3.4 ounces.
