Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is inching closer to the debut of its newest Concourse A facility. The airport shared last week that it expects the building, which will be the concourse’s third facility, will open in September.
It comes as part of a major multi-year expansion program at the airport, known as “Destination CLT.” In a move to increase its ability to handle more capacity, CLT has been “building for the future,” based on potential passenger growth forecasts.
“September debut”
The opening of the newest Concourse A facility is referred to as Expansion Phase II. Once open, the building will add 10 gates to the airport, and be primarily used by Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the facility will open next month.
“Concourse A Expansion Phase II is inching closer to its September debut. The installation of ceiling tiles, lighting and carpet is done. The 200,000-square-foot addition will house seven Delta Air Lines gates, two Frontier Airlines gates and one common-use gate.”
The building is located on the northwestern side of the terminal grounds, with the two other concourses situated just south of it. In 2018, CLT opened the slightly larger second Concourse A facility as part of Expansion Phase I. The building is 229,807 square feet and houses nine gates.
Mainly non-American Airlines flights
CLT’s largest carrier is American Airlines, which operates a hub at the airport. However, Concourse A has been primarily occupied by the airport’s other operators. In addition to Delta and Frontier, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Sun Country, Air Canada, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines are among the other carriers that call the concourse home.
Before the expansion, the airlines shared Concourse A’s original facility, with little presence from American. However, since the opening of the second facility, American has been utilizing some gates at the original facility – converting some to handle the Boeing 777-200ER, which is one of CLT’s largest passenger aircraft. American deploys the widebody jet on some hub-to-hub domestic routes and a handful of transatlantic international flights.