Move Would Transfer Control Of Charlotte-Douglas Airport Away From The City

The nation's 8th-busiest airline hub could soon be under new management following a vote Tuesday by the North Carolina House of Representatives. The state House of Representatives followed the lead of the State Senate in voting to create the independent authority, adding amendments that would immediately transfer the assets of the airport to the new body and establish new management. The Senate, which had passed the underlying bill Monday, must also vote on those amendments.

Charlotte, NC officials have threatened legal action to block the move. It was opposed by Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx before he was nominated as Secretary of Transportation, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The change was largely supported and passed by Republicans in the legislature. Representative Ruth Samuelson (R-Mecklenburg), who served as a county commissioner prior to her election to the State House, said that the airport is more of a business than a city department. She cited the likely merger between US Airways, the airport's largest customer, and American as one of the reasons to make the move. The new American Airlines is still determining where to place its hubs, and Samuelson said the having the airport under the management of a regional authority would make it more attractive to the merged airline.

Under North Carolina law, the legislation does not need the final approval of the Governor because it is considered a "local issue." Nor can Governor Pat McCorey veto the bill.

The city has proposed an alternative plan that would create an independent 11-member body to run the airport, but its members would be appointed by the city rather than the state.

(Screenshot of Charlotte-Douglas Airport from NASA’s globe software World Wind using a public domain layer, such as Blue Marble, MODIS, Landsat, SRTM, USGS or GLOBE)

FMI: www.ncleg.net