Charlotte Douglas International Airport has proposed nearly a dozen capital projects through a new airline agreement called CLT Beyond, including additional Concourse C gates and a passenger tunnel. The work would also cover international-arrivals upgrades and airfield infrastructure.
The tunnel would link the main terminal to an expanded Concourse C. Passengers would travel between the buildings underground.
The proposal sits within a new Airline Use and Lease Agreement, or AULA, between the airport and five signatory airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
The agreement covers more than construction. It sets out responsibilities and financial terms for the airport and its airline partners.
Concourse C expansion sets the package’s pace
Industry coverage has put the proposed Concourse C addition at 12 to 16 gates. The airport’s initial public description did not give a final count. Another account says the extension could add those gates without widening the existing B and C corridors.
The package also calls for renovating the international arrivals area. It would fund planning and design for a future Atrium expansion and additional international gates. Those are planning steps, not completed projects.
Airfield renovations would prepare the airport for its $1 billion Fourth Parallel Runway, which is expected to open in fall 2027. The proposal also includes electrical and other infrastructure upgrades.
The airport has not disclosed an estimated total price for the package. The proposed list reaches beyond passenger facilities to the systems needed to support airport operations.
Earlier gate plans set a wider airport backdrop
Charlotte’s most recent concourse expansion added 10 gates in September 2024. The $241 million Concourse A Phase II project delivered that increase.
Before the current proposal, former CLT chief infrastructure officer Jack Christine described a possible addition of 10 to 12 Concourse C gates over the next 10 to 12 years. Earlier plans also envisioned 10 to 12 more gates in Concourse B and six to eight additional gates in a Concourse A Phase III project.
The current status of the older A and B plans remains unclear. The new agreement puts a fresh set of projects before airlines and the city, while those earlier expansions remain unresolved.
Other construction continues at the airport. Concourse D renovations are expected to finish by the end of 2026, and Concourse E work is scheduled for completion by March 2027.
Council will hear the proposal before a later vote
The AULA governs maintenance and repair responsibilities, property rights, airport operations and the airlines’ financial obligations. Negotiations on the agreement were extended earlier in 2026 for up to one year.
Airport officials plan to present the proposal during the Charlotte City Council’s Council Action Review on Monday, October 12, 2026. The session is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Room 267 of the Government Center.
The council is expected to vote at a later meeting, not during that presentation. The presentation will come before the formal decision.
American’s separate lounge adds another project on the horizon
American Airlines is separately planning its largest-ever Admirals Club at the airport. The lounge is expected to cover more than 40,000 square feet, with construction starting before the end of 2026 and an opening anticipated in 2028.
Ralph Lopez Massas, American’s senior vice president of CLT Operations, said the lounge reflects the carrier’s investment in its Charlotte customers.
“The plan for our new lounge at CLT represents our continued investment in the customer experience and reflects our long-standing commitment to Charlotte.”
Heather Garboden, American’s chief customer officer, said the design will prioritize room for customers to rest and work.
“Designing a lounge that gives our customers more space to relax, work and recharge is our top priority.”
