Good news for Charlotte airport passengers: Quicker departures ahead. Here’s why.
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded $43 million to Charlotte’s airport for new construction that should speed departures, FAA officials said Friday.
The money will pay for the second phase of construction of a 108,656-square-yard plane deicing pad, according to an FAA news release on Friday.
And the grant will widen dual airplane taxilanes around Concourses D and E by 15,300 square yards, officials said, thereby reducing departure delays.
Charlotte’s airport is an American Airlines hub and one of the busiest airports in the world.
“Airports aren’t just travel hubs; they’re engines of economic growth for communities and entire regions,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement announcing grants to airports nationwide. “Americans ought to have the best airports in the world.”
The money comes from the airport infrastructure grant program, one of three aviation programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to the FAA. The law provides $15 billion over five years to airports, and airports have until the end of fiscal year 2025 to use their allocations, FAA officials said in the release.