May 30, 2024 - CLT remains seventh worldwide and nationwide for arrivals and departures, according to Airports Council International (ACI) 2023 preliminary rankings that were released in early April.
Charlotte Douglas lands ninth nationwide and 22nd worldwide for passenger traffic.
The rankings come on the heels of a record-breaking year as CLT surpassed its all-time passenger record. Charlotte welcomed 53.4 million passengers in 2023, a 12% jump from 47.8 million passengers in 2022 and 6.5% above the previous record of 50.2 million passengers in 2019.
Aircraft traffic increased 6.6% from 2022 even with airlines focusing on mainline activity and flying larger aircraft. CLT logged 539,066 arrivals and departures in 2023, up from 505,589 in 2022.
“Last year was the busiest in our history and the rankings reflect the eagerness of passengers to return to the sky,” said CLT Chief Executive Officer Haley Gentry. “Thanks to the strength of the American Airlines hub, CLT surpassed pandemic recovery projections by an entire year, and 2024 is shaping up to be our busiest year yet.”
In fact, Airport numbers this year are on pace to exceed last year’s record. Through the first four months of 2024 (January – April), passenger traffic is 16% higher than last year and aircraft operations are up 13%.
Final ACI rankings will be released later this summer or early fall.