Raleigh-Durham International Airport Statistics

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is North Carolina's second-busiest airport and the primary air gateway for the Research Triangle region, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. It connects the area to destinations across the U.S. and abroad through multiple partner airlines.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport handles over 14 million passengers annually.

• The airport served 15.65 million passengers in 2025, surpassing its previous all-time record and marking a 1.1% increase over 15.48 million passengers in 2024.
• In 2019, the airport handled 14.22 million passengers before the pandemic.
• Passenger traffic dropped to 4.88 million in 2020, a 66% decline, then recovered to 8.80 million in 2021.
• Recovery gained momentum in 2022 with 11.84 million passengers, followed by 14.52 million in 2023, making it the fastest-growing Top 50 U.S. airport with 22% year-over-year growth.

Major and low-cost carriers operate from RDU, with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines closely competing for the largest market share in 2025.

• Delta Air Lines led in 2025 with 25.8% of total passenger volume (around 4.04 million passengers), designating RDU as a focus city.
• American Airlines followed with 25% (about 3.91 million passengers), offering service to nonstop destinations including London.
• Southwest Airlines held 13.8% (2.16 million passengers), reflecting a strong low-cost presence.
• United Airlines held 11.2% (1.75 million), and Frontier Airlines accounted for 7.5% (1.17 million).
• JetBlue Airways had 4.6% (722,155 passengers).
• Other carriers made up 12.1% (1.90 million passengers), including airlines like Breeze Airways, Avelo Airlines and international carriers such as Air France, Lufthansa and Icelandair.
• Together, the top six airlines handled about 88% of total passengers, showing a concentrated carrier market at RDU.

• As of 2024, RDU offers 80 nonstop destinations, including 75 domestic cities across the U.S. and 15 international routes in 11 countries¹.
• International destinations include London-Heathrow (daily via American Airlines), Paris-Charles de Gaulle (Air France), Toronto (Air Canada), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Reykjavik (Icelandair), Cancun (multiple carriers), Mexico City (Aeromexico), Panama City (Copa Airlines) and Freeport, Bahamas (Bahamasair).
• Key domestic destinations include major hubs like Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and New York-area airports, as well as leisure destinations like Orlando, Miami, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

• Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France dominated international routes with 112,871 passengers in the first nine months of 2025.
• London-Heathrow ranked second with 105,394 passengers.
• Frankfurt, Germany attracted 70,098 travelers.
• Reykjavík–Keflavík, Iceland and Toronto-Pearson, Canada completed the top five international destinations, serving 63,653 and 54,306 passengers, respectively.

RDU has seen improved reliability, with cancellation rates consistently under 2% in recent years.

• In 2025, the cancellation rate stood at 1.70%, a slight increase from the previous year.
• The highest rate was 6.51% in 2020 due to COVID-19 disruptions and reduced schedules.
• Cancellations dropped to 1.39% in 2021 as operations stabilized, one of the best years for reliability.
• In 2022, 3.12% of flights were cancelled due to staffing shortages and operational disruptions across the industry.
• Both 2023 and 2024 saw 1.51% of flights cancelled.

RDU generates between $170-255 million in annual operating revenue, with strong growth in recent years.

• It reported $254.1 million in FY2025 (fiscal year ending March 31, 2025), the highest on record.
• FY2019 saw $165.9 million, which increased to $173.6 million in FY2020 before falling to $73.7 million in FY2021 during the pandemic.
• Revenue rebounded to $148.2 million in FY2022, $197.3 million in FY2023 and a record-setting $231.6 million in FY2024.

• On February 19, 1988, AVAir Flight 3378, operating as American Eagle, crashed shortly after takeoff from RDU in low-visibility conditions while en route to Richmond, Virginia. All 12 people on board were killed. The NTSB found that the crew lost control after takeoff and found no evidence of an engine or aircraft-system failure².
• On December 13, 1994, Flagship Airlines Flight 3379, operating as American Eagle, crashed near Morrisville while approaching RDU from Greensboro. Fifteen of the 20 people on board were killed. The NTSB cited the captain’s improper assumption of an engine failure and the crew’s failure to follow approved procedures³.
• On December 31, 1986, a projectile struck a United Airlines Boeing 737 on approach to RDU. One passenger was injured, but the aircraft landed safely⁴.
• On July 29, 2022, a CASA 212-200 skydiving aircraft lost its right main landing gear after a hard landing and go-around near Raeford, North Carolina. The aircraft diverted to RDU and landed with a runway excursion. The second-in-command left the aircraft in flight and died, while the pilot-in-command survived. The NTSB issued its final report in December 2023⁵.