CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Members of the Charlotte City Council take up a long-term airline lease for Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Monday night, a contract that would shape how the city-owned hub grows for the next decade.
The proposed agreement with the major carriers runs ten and a half years. Airport officials say it carries a capital program worth $2.1 billion for work on the terminal, the airfield and supporting infrastructure, which is more than four times the size of the program in the prior deal. The draft also rewrites the rules for how gates are assigned and used, and it would give the city a 55 percent share of yearly revenue sharing.
Supporters on the council describe the lease as a key piece of the region’s economic growth. Councilmember Ed Driggs has called it ten more years of a partnership with American Airlines that has paid off for the city, and he has said he does not favor any change in who owns the airport.
The vote also lands in the middle of an older fight over control. State lawmakers in Raleigh have made earlier attempts to shift the airport to a separate authority, and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis has warned he would back state or federal action if local leaders threaten the airport’s independence.
Airport workers and their union have pressed the council to tie better pay and working conditions to the lease. North Carolina law keeps cities out of decisions on wages and benefits, which is why the draft is silent on them. Councilmember Malcolm Graham has said the council can take up worker concerns in committee, including at other city-owned venues such as the convention center and the uptown arena.
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