While the total number of airports in North Carolina is 275, only 10 of them provide the scheduled flight service. Four airports are considered major and have international status (currently, only CLT operates foreign flights). The list of the major commercial airports in North Carolina is as follows:
Some of the North Carolina regional airports are as big and popular as international ones. For example, the passenger traffic at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) was 704,972 travelers in 2020. There’s also a long list of smaller airports in NC that aren’t listed in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) but are open to the public. Many airports are also used by emergency services and the military.
Since the Wright Brothers’ first kite glider took to the air, aviation has been a top priority for the state of North Carolina. The state constantly develops the airports’ infrastructure and funds new projects. Apart from international and regional public airports, there are 30 private airfields opened to the public. 80% of all airports in North Carolina funded by the state budget have runways of 5,000 feet or longer.
The key factors for the aviation development in the region go as follows:
The FAA-initiated Drone Integration Pilot Program is implemented in North Carolina. The program aims to integrate drones into the state’s aviation system. The project is coordinated by the Precision Hawk company with its headquarters in Raleigh. The company supplies drones and provides remote pilot services to other enterprises including governmental institutions. The company’s CEO Michael Chasen was appointed a chairman of the Drone Advisory Committee at FAA in 2020.
Currently, drones perform the following operations in North Carolina airports and other in-state locations:
