Charlotte Douglas International Airport Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

United States Geological Survey (USGS) aerial image in 2012

IATA: CLT
ICAO: KCLT
FAA LID: CLT
WMO: 72314

Summary

Airport type

Public

Owner

City of Charlotte

Operator

Charlotte Aviation Department

Serves

Charlotte metropolitan area

Location

5501 Josh Birmingham Parkway
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

Hub for

American Airlines
ViaAir

Elevation AMSL

748 ft / 228 m

Coordinates

35°12′50″N 080°56′35″W / 35.21389°N 80.94306°W

Website

www.charlotteairport.com

Map

CLT

Location in North Carolina

CLT

Location in the United States

Runway

Runway	Length		Surface
Runway	ft	m	Surface
18L/36R	8,677	2,645	Asphalt/Concrete
18C/36C	10,000	3,048	Concrete
18R/36L	9,000	2,743	Concrete
5/23	7,502	2,287	Asphalt/Concrete

Statistics (2017)

Passengers	45,909,899
Aircraft operations	553,812

Source: Federal Aviation Administration, Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is a very busy airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. It's used by both regular travelers and the military. This airport is one of the busiest in the world! In 2010, it was the 6th busiest airport globally for how many planes took off and landed. By 2013, it was the 23rd busiest for the number of passengers.

The airport first opened in 1936 as the Charlotte Municipal Airport. Later, in 1954, it was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport. This was to honor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr., who used to be the mayor of Charlotte. For a long time, it was the main hub for US Airways. In 2015, US Airways joined with American Airlines. Now, Charlotte is the second largest hub for American Airlines.

A Busy Airport Hub
- How Busy Is CLT?
Airport History
Runways at CLT
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

A Busy Airport Hub

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a major hub for American Airlines. This means it's a central place where many flights connect. Think of it like a busy train station, but for airplanes! Many people fly into Charlotte and then switch to another plane to reach their final destination.

How Busy Is CLT?

This airport handles a huge number of passengers and planes every year.

In 2017, over 45 million passengers traveled through CLT. That's a lot of people!
Also in 2017, there were more than 550,000 aircraft operations. This counts every time a plane takes off or lands.

Airport History

The airport has grown a lot since it first opened.

1936: It started as the Charlotte Municipal Airport.
1954: It was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport. This honored former mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr.
Later Years: The airport continued to expand, adding more runways and terminal buildings to handle the increasing number of flights and passengers.

Runways at CLT

Charlotte Douglas International Airport has several runways. These are the long, flat areas where planes take off and land.

The runways are made of strong materials like asphalt and concrete.
They are different lengths to help various types of planes. For example, some are over 10,000 feet long!