The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has dedicated a newly commissioned and environmentally sustainable air traffic control tower at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
The 370-foot-tall air traffic control tower supports an 850-square-foot tower cab that gives air traffic controllers a bird’s-eye view of the airfield. A 42,000-square-foot building has also been constructed at its base, which houses an expanded terminal radar approach control (TRACON) for handling flights departing and arriving in CLT’s airspace.
CLT Chief Executive Officer Haley Gentry, said:The commissioning of the new air traffic control tower by the Federal Aviation Administration is a testament to the importance of Charlotte in the National Airspace System. The tower is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art NextGen technology to keep up with the current and future demand of our growing airfield. This modern infrastructure is another display of the strong partnership we have at CLT and we are grateful to the FAA for this investment to make air traffic more efficient.
This project was necessary for CLT’s continued growth, as new air traffic control technology, alongside the airport’s addition of new runways and taxiways, made the height and size of the old tower obsolete.
A total of 179 FAA employees now work at CLT’s new control tower and TRACON building, which became operational in late February 2022.
FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims, said:Aviation is an invaluable part of our American life and our national economy. The new, taller control tower will enable the airport to continue to expand its flight operations to grow alongside the vibrant Charlotte economy.
The estimated final cost of the completed project is 94 million USD.
