Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) recently passed its annual US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 139 airport certification inspection without any discrepancies, securing the highest rating that a commercial airport can receive.
The inspection is a part of an annual review that requires every airport to renew its operating certificate from the FAA.
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RDU president and CEO Michael Landguth said: "Our team’s first priority every day is to operate a safe and secure airport. The results of this inspection underscore our commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing of our passengers."
The FAA carried out the inspection at the airport between 11 and 13 August, reviewing the airport’s certification manual and emergency plan, detailed visual inspections of the airfield, markings and lighting. A test was also carried out to inspect the airport’s emergency response procedures.
The airport further revealed that there is an upward trend for the number of passengers travelling through RDU for the fifth month in a row.
According to the latest data released by the airport at the board meeting, the number of passengers departing from RDU in July grew 8.2%, in comparison with the same month last year, while the number of passengers arriving at the airport increased by 8.9% during the same time period.
"Over the past year, airlines have put more seats and flights into our market. As we have said many times before, if more seats are available, our customers will fill them, illustrating the strong demand our region has for air service," added Landguth.
