The addition of a fourth parallel runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina will require the renumbering of the airport’s other runways.
The new runway, set to open in the fall of 2027, will throw off the left-center-right naming conventions currently used for Charlotte’s takeoff and landing strips. So officials are working to get the runways renumbered in advance, between May 2026 and September 2026.
The current Runway 18R-36L will become 1L-19R, 18C-36C will become 1R-19L, and 18L-36R will become 18-36. The new runway will be known as 1C-19C.
The timeline laid out by airport leadership is meant to give pilots time to adjust to the changes and for updates to be made to FAA-approved aviation charts. Charts are updated every 56 days.
As part of the renumbering effort, the massive, roughly 60-foot by 20-foot white numbers and letters painted on each runway will need to be redone, and airport operations staff will have to update over 120 physical markings and change dozens of signs.
More than just consistency, the renumbering is a matter of safety. The massive white numbers and letters offer important visual cues for pilots, helping ensure they are aligned with the correct runway.
“It is a requirement for precision runways at commercial airports like CLT and assists pilots during poor weather and limited visibility,” said Trent Sellers, the airport’s planning project coordinator.
Charlotte began planning for a fourth runway in 2016 to accommodate increased air traffic and reduce delays. Design work began in 2022, and construction started a year later. The project is expected to cost about $1 billion.
