b'The central courtyard includes new seating 10 CLT TERMINALSand a statue of Queen Charlotte that was relocated from elsewhere at the airport. Chief Infrastructure Officer Jack Christine says the recently completed new construction wasnt easy, but it was a little more controlled. For instance, customers walking through the area were largely unaware of the project thanks to connectors built through the construction zone. The renovation phases, which involved moving ticket counters,JACK CHRISTINErelocating security screening checkpoints and rebuilding baggage claim, were more impactful. Once we got into the renovation phases, we were pretty much in everybodys business, jokes Christine.To further complicate this more invasive portion of project, passenger growth at CLT did not take a pause. Traffic at the North Carolina airport rebounded quickly and faster than expected following the COVID-19 pandemic, Christine says, bringing passenger volumes not forecasted until closer to 2030. In fact, American Airlines added 100 flights at CLT in 2024 alone. That was to support the hub, but actually also added a lot of demand to the local traffic as well, he explains. The whole airport facility was heavily burdened in the summer of 24 with the number of passengers we had moving through the facility. Myrtle Beach International AirportAmerican has since rolled back some of that capacity, but CLT Concourse Expansion and Modernizationis still seeing high passenger numbersabout 3% over 2023. Thats about where we ought to be, Christine comments. Coping MechanismsChristine reports that despite the volume-related strains, the entire team for the lobby expansion projectfrom the contractor and January | February 2026AirportImprovement.com'