(The Center Square) – Reduced volume of flights because of the government shutdown are coming in Charlotte for the world’s No. 6 airport in aircraft operations and North America’s No. 7 in passenger volume.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is among 40 initially identified, according to multiple published reports. Neither the U.S. Department of Transportation nor the Federal Aviation Administration have released a final list; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday said he’s ordering a 10% cut in flights at 40 major airports, with a gradual increase to reach the figure starting Friday and lasting into next week.
No other airports in the Tarheel State are on the initial listing.
Thursday marked the 37th day of the shutdown. Both major political parties blame the other for the impasse; a continuing resolution passed in the U.S. House of Representatives has failed to get past a filibuster in the Senate.
Takeoffs and landings of all aircraft at Charlotte Douglas were 596,583 in 2024, exceeding global hubs such as Los Angeles International and Shanghai Pudong. The passenger record was reset for the fifth time in eight years to 58.8 million, up 10% from the previous year.
American Airlines is the major carrier to and from the Queen City.
Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers have missed two paychecks. Many are calling in sick in order to work paying jobs in the interim. Across the country, there are about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents.
For Charlotte, it takes about 100 air traffic controllers in roles of actively working, managing coordinators, or administrative. The exact number of TSA agents isn’t available publicly; the airport is home to more than 20,000 workers in various jobs.
According to FlightAware since Monday, airports nationwide had experienced more than 2,500 cancellations and nearly 16,000 delays by midday Thursday. Charlotte had 13 cancellations and 492 delays in that time.
