Charlotte City Council votes 8-2 to approve new airlines lease at Charlotte Douglas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte City Council voted 8 to 2 Monday night to pass the new airline lease agreement at Charlotte Douglas Airport. The 10-and-a-half-year deal runs from January 2027 through June 2037, with a five-year extension option.

The deal locks in $2.1 billion for terminal and airfield upgrades. That’s more than four times the 2016 agreement. It also updates gate-sharing rules and maintains a 55-to-45 percent revenue split between the city and signatory airlines.

About 50 people addressed council before the vote, passionate about both sides of the issue. Airline workers and their advocates say the City should do more to help them secure better working conditions and higher pay. Business leader Vinay Patel told Council, “Remember, we’re voting on the lease. Let’s talk about the other things in a different venue, in a different session. Today, it is incumbent on you not to lose what is the reason Charlotte is what Charlotte is.”

Speaker Judith Brown urged Council to delay its vote, saying, “I want the person assisting me to have the training, the time, the equipment, and the support necessary to do their job safely. And I also want that person to get the wages that they can live with dignity.”

The two City Council members who voted against the new airlines lease were JD Mazuera Arias and Renee Johnson.