Charlotte Douglas International Airport extends airline lease for one year
Charlotte Douglas International Airport announced a one-year extension of its current Airline Use and Lease Agreement with airlines, including American Airlines.
The agreement between the airport and the signatory airlines began on July 1, 2016, and runs through June 30.
“The current AULA terms and conditions will carry forward during this timeframe, and travelers can expect no impact to operations,” a spokesperson for the Charlotte airport said in a Friday statement.
The lease agreement governs the business relationships between the Charlotte airport and partner airlines. This includes the assignment of property rights, airport and airline operations, maintenance and repair obligations and financial commitments between parties.
The carriers on the lease are American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL); Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL); United Airlines Holding Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL); Frontier Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ULCC); and Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV). Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc. had been a signatory airline, too, but has since gone out of business.
While all the airlines play a role in the lease, American Airlines is a significant factor. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company accounts for around 90% of the flights at the airport.
“American has been committed to Charlotte for decades and supported $4 billion worth of infrastructure improvements at the airport in just the past decade,” American said in a statement.
“We are proud of the vital role our hub plays in connecting the region to the world -- driving more than $30 billion in economic activity annually across the state and supporting more than 150,000 jobs. We continue to make meaningful progress toward a long-term lease agreement, and this extension will support continued discussions.”
The extension come as members of the Service Employees International Union 32BJ continue to urge the city to use its lease negotiations with the airlines to improve passenger safety and reduce employee turnover by ensuring workers receive better pay and benefits.
“Additional time is an important step forward, but transparency and meaningful public input must follow,” Chris Baumann, Southern Region Director for SEIU Workers United, said in a statement. “We continue to call for a formal 45-day public review period once negotiations conclude so city council and the public have an opportunity to fully review and weigh in on the final agreement before any long-term deal is approved.”
Long term negotiations for a new agreement are ongoing.
This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 1:13 PM.
