However, the RDU hub was operating at a loss even during its heyday in the early 1990s, along with AA's contemporaneous north-south hubs in Nashville International Airport and San Jose International Airport. Delta Air Lines and Allegheny Airlines began service in the 1970s, and Trans World Airlines and American Airlines began service in the 1980s.ДЄn American Airlines Boeing 777 flight from London Gatwick Airport lands at RDU.ДЄmerican Airlines built a dedicated terminal at RDU between 19 to house a new hub operation. Following World War II, Capital Airlines and Piedmont Airlines joined Eastern at RDU. The passenger terminal was built from materials remaining after the construction of four Army barracks for the site's use as an Army Air Forces Air Technical Service Command airfield. The new Raleigh-Durham airport opened for commercial service on inaugurated with flights by Eastern Airlines. This effort also was strongly promoted by Eastern Air Lines, led by then Eastern chairman Eddie Rickenbacker who sought to make Raleigh/Durham a stopover on the airline's New York-Miami route. Consequently, in 1939 the North Carolina General Assembly chartered the Raleigh-Durham Aeronautical Authority to build and operate a larger, replacement airport convenient to both Raleigh and Durham. However the initial airfield's runways were limited and not well suited to commercial service. The region's first airport opened in 1929 as Raleigh's municipal airport, located just south of what is now the city's downtown area. The Airport Authority is controlled by a board of representatives from the counties of Wake and Durham, and the cities of Raleigh and Durham. The RDU Airport Authority is in charge of the airport facilities and its operations. In 2007, more than 10 million passengers traveled through the airport.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (IATA: RDU,В ICAO: KRDU,В FAA LID: RDU) is a public international airport located nine statute miles (14В km) northeast of the town of Morrisville in suburban Wake County, North Carolina, United States.The airport covers 4,929В acres (1,995 ha) and operates three runways, providing direct service to 35 domestic and international destinations on 364 daily flights. Location of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Rdu observation deck