Is it necessary to expand the airport of Charlotte to win new companies?
Charlotte
Douglas International is the busiest American airport without a direct
flight to Asia."If we could get that direct flight to Shanghai, I think
that would open the floodgates for new companies," says Jeff Edge, Senior Vice President of Economic Development at the Charlotte Chamber.
American
airports recently added seasonal service from Charlotte to Barcelona,
Lisbon, Manchester and Brussels, but at this time limits direct Asian
service to Dallas- Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Chicago. The recent
additions helped boost international business at CLT 5% for the year.
International flights at Charlotte Douglas account for about 1% of the
almost 44 million passengers coming through its gates each year. Because
of that adding direct flights to Asia from Charlotte
would require more than just more concourse space. CLT's longest runway
is 10,000 feet, shorter than the 12,000 feet generally needed for Asian
service from the Southeast. The airport master plan under development is
expected to include plans for a fourth runway of 12,000 feet to handle
trans-Pacific aircraft.
When
12 international flights arrive at the same time, the airport of
Charlotte would have a problem. Therefore Charlotte Douglas spent $ 2
million on 24 automated passport- control kiosks that speed U.S.
citizens through the primary Federal Inspection Service area after
international flights.
To
win new companies, an expansion of the airport of Charlotte is
necessary. International set up new manufacturing facilities or offices,
where they can get business done quickly; versus
sitting in Atlanta for instance and waiting three hours for a connecting
flight. They may have lost a day versus getting a full day of business
in. It's a cost savings businesses are looking for.
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