Airports Council International has released their 2022 preliminary rankings, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport is once again in the top 10 in arrivals and departures, and near-record passenger traffic.
Air travel in the U.S. sprang back up in 2022, and the post-pandemic recovery is gaining steam.
“2023 is on pace to be a 100% recovery from the pandemic, one year earlier than forecasted, as we begin our busiest summer ever,” Charlotte Douglas Airport CEO Haley Gentry said in a statement.
In 2022, the Charlotte airport saw 505,589 flight arrivals and departures.
Over 48 million passengers flew out of CLT. That’s a nearly 10% jump from 43 million in 2021. Last year was just shy of making airport history. In 2019, 50 million passengers used Charlotte Douglas.
“The rankings reflect the confidence and eagerness of passengers returning to the skies, and the strength of the American Airlines hub,” Gentry said.
CLT remains a dominant location for American Airlines, as the company's second-largest hub. American operates nearly 90% of all flights from Charlotte. Other airlines that operate out of CLT include Delta, United, Sun Country, Southwest Airlines, Frontier and Spirit Airlines.
According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the airport contributed $32 billion dollars to the state's economy in 2021.
As the airport continues to draw more passengers, CLT will continue its “Destination CLT” project through 2035. Next month construction will begin on the fourth parallel runway, which is scheduled to be completed by 2027.
Here are the top 10 airports by takeoffs and landings in 2022:
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (724,145)
2. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (711,561)
3. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (656,676)
4. Denver International Airport (607,786)
5. Harry Reid International Airport (581,116)
6. Los Angeles International Airport (556,913)
7. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (505,589)
8. Miami International Airport (458,478)
9. John F Kennedy International Airport (448,847)
10. Istanbul Airport (425,890)
