Raleigh–Durham International Airport

Raleigh–Durham International Airport
IATA: RDU ICAO: KRDU FAA LID: RDU
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner/Operator	Raleigh–Durham Airport Authority
Serves	The Research Triangle Metropolitan Region of North Carolina
Location	Cedar Fork Township, Wake County, North Carolina
Focus city for	Delta Air Lines
Elevation AMSL	435 ft / 133 m
Coordinates	35°52′40″N 078°47′15″W / 35.87778°N 78.78750°W / 35.87778; -78.78750
Website	rdu.com
Map
RDU Show map of North Carolina RDU Show map of the US Location of airport in North Carolina/United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 5L/23R 10,000 3,048 Concrete 5R/23L 7,500 2,286 Asphalt 14/32 3,570 1,088 Asphalt
Statistics (2016)
Aircraft movements 191,348 Passenger movements 11,049,103
Sources: RDU website

Raleigh–Durham International Airport (IATA: RDU, ICAO: KRDU, FAA LID: RDU) is the main airport serving Raleigh, Durham and the surrounding Research Triangle region of North Carolina. It is located 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of the town of Morrisville in Wake County. The airport covers 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) and has three runways and has passenger service to 41 destinations with 126 average daily departures. In 2016, RDU set an all time record for passengers, with 11,049,143 passengers traveling through the airport. The RDU Airport Authority is in charge of the airport facilities and its operations. The Airport Authority is controlled by a board of representatives from the counties of Wake and Durham and the cities of Raleigh and Durham.

The region's first airport opened in 1929 as Raleigh's Municipal Airport, south of town at 35°44′06″N 78°39′22″W / 35.735°N 78.656°W / 35.735; -78.656. It was quickly outgrown, and in 1939 the North Carolina General Assembly chartered the Raleigh–Durham Aeronautical Authority to build and operate a larger airport between Raleigh and Durham. This was promoted by Eastern Air Lines, led by then chairman Eddie Rickenbacker who wanted to make RDU a stop on the airline's New York–Miami route.