Raleigh-Durham International
RDU · KRDU · Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina · Wake County · map
Raleigh-Durham International is a public-use airport, 9 miles northwest of Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, 435 feet above sea level. It has 3 runways; the longest, 05L/23R, is 10,000 feet of concrete. It has a control tower, fuel (100LL avgas, Jet A) and about 175 general-aviation aircraft based on the field by the FAA's count. The receiver network heard 595 different aircraft arrive or depart here in the last seven days. The FAA counts about 212,133 takeoffs and landings a year. About 7,283,684 passengers boarded flights here in the FAA's fiscal year 2024.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for Raleigh-Durham International?
Its FAA code is RDU, and its ICAO code is KRDU.
Where is Raleigh-Durham International?
It is 9 miles northwest of Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, 435 feet above sea level.
How long is the longest runway at Raleigh-Durham International?
The longest of its 3 runways, 05L/23R, is 10,000 feet long.
Does Raleigh-Durham International have a control tower?
Yes, it has a control tower.
What fuel can you buy at Raleigh-Durham International?
The FAA's airport file lists 100LL avgas, Jet A.
Where can you fly nonstop from Raleigh-Durham International?
Airline flights go to 8 airports, the busiest of them Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, Laguardia, John F Kennedy International, Chicago O'Hare International, Orlando International. Every route
Are there flight schools at Raleigh-Durham International?
3 flight schools, flying clubs or college flight programmes are based within about 15 miles of it, including Flightgest Academy LLC and Gods Chosen Flyers LLC. Compare them
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to Raleigh-Durham International?
9 pilot examiners and 10 aviation medical examiners work within 50 nautical miles. See them by name
Weather and planning now, the forecast, warnings, pilot reports, winds aloft, restrictions
Fetching the weather now, the forecast, the warnings in force, pilot reports and the winds aloft for Raleigh-Durham International…
Wind map live wind over the area, from Windy.com
Colours show wind speed, the moving lines its direction; drag the time bar for the coming days. Map and forecast by Windy.com.
The airport facts, runways, radio, fuel and services, the FAA's remarks
The airport
- Codes
- FAA RDU · ICAO KRDU
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · publicly owned
- Elevation
- 435 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- A control tower with a TRACON · around the clock
- Attended
- around the clock
- Lights
- runway lights sunset to sunrise; beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- 100LL avgas, Jet A; the services card below
- Notes
- certified for airline service (Part 139)
- On the chart
- Charlotte sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 9W
- In the FAA's files since
- April 1943
Runways 3
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05L/23R | 10,000 × 150 ft | Concrete, good | High-intensity lights |
| 05R/23L | 7,500 × 150 ft | Asphalt, good | High-intensity lights |
| 14/32 | 3,570 × 100 ft | Asphalt, good | Medium-intensity lights |
- Runway 05L: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, medium-intensity approach lights with runway alignment lights (MALSR)
- Runway 23R: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, approach lights with sequenced flashers (ALSF-2), right-hand traffic pattern
- Runway 05R: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, medium-intensity approach lights with runway alignment lights (MALSR), right-hand traffic pattern
- Runway 23L: ILS with DME, PAPI, four lights on the left, medium-intensity approach lights with runway alignment lights (MALSR)
- Runway 32: PAPI, four lights on the left, trees 120 ft high 3,046 ft from the end
Radio frequencies
| UNICOM | 122.95 | |
| Digital ATIS | 123.8 | Raleigh |
| Clearance delivery | 120.1 | Raleigh |
| Ground | 121.9 | Raleigh |
| Tower | 127.45 | Raleigh |
| Approach · Blogs and star · Brade and star arriving from headings 055 to 229 | 124.95 | Raleigh |
| Class C airspace · Departure · Departure procedure (HOOKZ) arriving from headings 055 to 229 | 125.3 | Raleigh |
| Approach · Buzzy and star · Dmstr and star arriving from headings 230 to 054 | 127.675 | Raleigh |
| Departure procedure (BEXGO) · Class C airspace · Departure arriving from headings 230 to 054 | 132.35 | Raleigh |
| Emergency | 121.5 | Raleigh |
Automated weather (ASOS), by phone 919-244-2891.
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas, Jet A
- Repairs
- airframe and engine: major repairs
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
- Oxygen
- bulk oxygen (high- and low-pressure)
- Also here
- air freight, air ambulance, avionics, cargo handling, charter flights, flight instruction, aircraft rental, aircraft sales, aerial surveying
Other fields with jet fuel nearby: Raleigh Executive Jetport AT Sanford-Lee County (23 nm southwest), Triangle North Executive (24 nm east), Raleigh Regional AT Person County (26 nm north).
The FAA's file records what is sold and done at the field, as the airport manager reports it, not who sells it or the price; fuel sellers (FBOs) are not named in any public file. Airports selling jet fuel in North Carolina · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Visibility of beacon shielded to the North.
- No jet engine maintenance runs between 12:00 am to 6:00 am.
- Runway 05L/23R ungrooved.
- Airport closed to airships.
- Taxiway east behind south cargo 4 and taxiway J behind corporate hangars not vsbl from the control tower.
- Taxiway F4 and F5 is closed until further notice.
- All tdg V aircraft txg on taxiway a are restricted to taxi spd of 15 mph.
- Apn txl F between taxiway T1 and taxiway T7 closed to aircraft with wingspan more than 171 feet.
- Taxiway D closed to aircraft with wingspan more than 171 feet when taxiway G and H are occupied.
- Terminal 1 aircraft must contact air traffic control on 121.9 prior to push onto taxiway a. Terminal 2 aircraft must contact ramp tower on 130.175 prior to push. North cargo apron adg IV or V aircraft must contact air traffic control on 121.9 prior to push.
- Taxiway C between taxiway F and G is rstrd to aircraft less than a maximum gross takeoff weight of 490000 pounds.
- Taxiway east closed to afct with wingspan more than 171 feet.
Flights and activity in the air now, the airlines, based aircraft, takeoffs and landings
Activity now checking the volunteer receiver network…
Within ten miles
- Looking…
Arrivals and departures, last hour
- Looking…
From the volunteer receiver network, a few minutes behind at most; aircraft whose owners asked the FAA not to be displayed are left out; no person is named. Open the live map here.
Scheduled and charter flights from here the DOT's airline reports · August 2025 to July 2026
Airlines reported 73,933 departures from RDU in those twelve months, carrying 7,866,368 passengers in 10,196,147 seats (77% filled), to 212 destinations (33 abroad) on 55 airlines.
All 212 destinations, the airlines and the aircraft, month by month
From the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' T-100 table: every segment an airline reported flying, three months in arrears. Private, business and training flights are not in it; the live picture is in the activity card.
Based aircraft as counted for the FAA, fiscal year 2024
Based aircraft, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| single-engine | 99 |
| multi-engine | 17 |
| jets | 30 |
| helicopters | 6 |
| other | 23 |
The FAA's count is the general-aviation aircraft kept on the field (singles, twins, business jets, helicopters) from its Terminal Area Forecast, the latest year with an actual count; airline fleets are never counted as based anywhere, so a big airline airport shows a small number. The aircraft heard arriving or departing are the site's own record from the volunteer receiver network, airliners included; aircraft whose owners asked the FAA not to be displayed are left out. The register section below shows how many aircraft are registered to owners in town, a different measure again.
Takeoffs and landings a year about 212,133, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| airline | 137,979 |
| air taxi and commuter | 24,650 |
| general aviation, travelling | 44,693 |
| general aviation, local | 706 |
| military | 4,105 |
Local flights stay in the traffic pattern or nearby, often practice; travelling flights arrive from or leave for somewhere else. Counts at airports without a tower are the FAA's estimates. How this compares nationally: Airports by the numbers.
Who flies and works here aircraft registered in town, the companies, the examiners nearby
Aircraft registered in Raleigh/Durham from the FAA register
No aircraft on the register list Raleigh/Durham, NC as the owner's town.
Who works here from the FAA's certificate lists and the register
Flight schools, flying clubs and college flight programmes based within about 15 miles:
- Flightgest Academy LLC 14 aircraft · Morrisville, 4 miles away FlightGest Academy is a flight school based at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina that has trained pilots for over 25 years.
- Gods Chosen Flyers LLC 1 aircraft · Apex, 12 miles away
- Raleigh Flying Club LLC 5 aircraft · Chapel Hill, 15 miles away
Companies in the same town as this airport, and schools within about 15 miles of it (each placed at the main public airport of its town, or at the town's centre); not every one of them works from this field. All operators · all repair stations · all flight schools · all FBOs.
Examiners and inspectors nearby designated by the FAA · within 50 nautical miles
9 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 8 for private pilot, 8 for commercial and instrument, 4 for airline transport pilot, 8 for flight instructor, 1 for sport pilot; 8 for airplanes, 5 for multi-engine airplanes. Also nearby: 2 sport aviation examiners, 10 aviation medical examiners, 2 mechanic examiners, 2 airworthiness representatives (maintenance), 4 airworthiness representatives (manufacturing), 1 engineering representative, 1 parachute rigger examiner.
- Francesco Gozzo private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Morrisville, NC (2 nm) · (919) 426-5494 · [email protected]
- Jay Lindsey Nabors private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes · Cary, NC (9 nm) · (919) 740-0299 · [email protected]
- Adam Everett Walters private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Smithfield, NC (28 nm) · (803) 493-9125 · [email protected]
- Charles Ray Walters private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Smithfield, NC (28 nm) · (919) 369-2683 · [email protected]
- Stephen Lynn Henderson instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates · Blue Line Aviation · Smithfield, NC (28 nm) · (360) 904-9078 · [email protected]
- Elayne M Humphrey private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, sport pilot, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor, foreign pilot certificates; airplanes · Erwin, NC (30 nm) · (910) 224-8312 · [email protected]
- Christopher Marshall Whittle private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Burlington, NC (35 nm) · (336) 264-0943 · [email protected]
- Christopher Allen Kreske private pilot, commercial and instrument, airline transport pilot, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Pikeville, NC (42 nm) · (919) 608-3231 · [email protected]
All 31 nearby, by kind, with contact details
What each kind does
- DPE: Designated Pilot Examiner: gives the practical tests (checkrides) for pilot certificates and ratings.
- SAE: Sport Aviation Examiner: gives the tests for sport pilot certificates and light-sport aircraft.
- AME: Aviation Medical Examiner: a doctor who issues the medical certificates pilots must hold.
- DME: Designated Mechanic Examiner: tests candidates for the mechanic certificate (airframe and powerplant).
- DAR-T: Designated Airworthiness Representative, maintenance: issues airworthiness certificates and approvals for aircraft in service.
- DAR-F: Designated Airworthiness Representative, manufacturing: issues airworthiness certificates for newly built aircraft and parts.
- DER-T: Designated Engineering Representative: approves engineering data for repairs and alterations on the FAA's behalf.
- DPRE: Designated Parachute Rigger Examiner: tests candidates for the parachute rigger certificate.
Designees are listed with the name and contact details the FAA publishes for them on its designee locator (read October 10, 2026): the FAA lists them so that pilots, mechanics and companies can find them. Private individuals are not named, the site's policy at this time. A designee who would rather not appear here can ask us through the contact address on the About page. Each designee is placed at the main public airport of the town the FAA lists (or the nearest one to its zip code), so "nearby" means the town, not an exact address. All examiners by state.
Safety record the NTSB's cases at or near this airport
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 40 since 1982, 15 fatal
Cases the NTSB recorded with this as the nearest airport, newest first. Each opens the full report in plain English. The country as a whole: Where accidents happen.
Nearby within 30 nautical miles
Connections how this airport links to the rest of the register
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 40 since 1982 · 15 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 305 in the last ten years
- Flightgest Academy LLC 14 aircraft · flight school
- Gods Chosen Flyers LLC 1 aircraft · flight school
- Raleigh Flying Club LLC 5 aircraft · flying club
- Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) 4,595 flights in twelve months · Delta Air Lines Inc., Frontier Airlines Inc.
- Laguardia (LGA) 4,154 flights in twelve months · Republic Airline, Endeavor Air Inc.
- John F Kennedy International (JFK) 3,553 flights in twelve months · Republic Airline, Endeavor Air Inc.
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) 3,542 flights in twelve months · United Air Lines Inc., Republic Airline
- Orlando International (MCO) 3,206 flights in twelve months · Delta Air Lines Inc., Southwest Airlines Co.
- Charlotte/Douglas International (CLT) 3,069 flights in twelve months · American Airlines Inc., PSA Airlines Inc.
- Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl (DCA) 2,903 flights in twelve months · Endeavor Air Inc., PSA Airlines Inc.
- Nashville International (BNA) 2,813 flights in twelve months · Southwest Airlines Co., Republic Airline
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in North Carolina 106 landing places
- North Carolina 7,117 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/RDU.json.
Facts from the FAA's airport file effective October 29, 2026, written out in plain English; weather from the National Weather Service's aviation weather service; registered aircraft from the FAA register as of October 30, 2026; accidents from the NTSB's public database. Owners are shown only when they are an organisation; no person is named. Check the official sources before a flight: this page is for understanding an airport, not for planning one.