Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr. The airport gained its current name in 1982 and, as of September 2017, it is the second largest hub for American Airlines after Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with service to 161 domestic and international destinations. As of 2016 it was the 5th busiest airport in the United States, ranked by passenger traffic and aircraft movements. It was also the 7th business airport in the world ranked by aircraft movements Charlotte is the largest airport in the United States without any nonstop service to Asia. The airport serves as a major gateway to the Caribbean Islands. CLT covers 5,558 acres (2,249 ha) of land.HistoryThe early yearsThe city received a $200,000 grant from the Works Progress Administration in 1930 to establish Charlotte's first municipal airport. In 1936, the Charlotte Municipal Airport opened, operated by the City of Charlotte; Eastern Air Lines began scheduled passenger service in 1937. The original passenger terminal still exists at Fenway Sports Group's Boeing 727 parking area. (FSG's North American motorsport venture, Roush Fenway Racing, is based in the old terminal.)
