RDU · Raleigh/Durham, United States
Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
--:--:-- · EDT (UTC-04:00) · 35.8787° N, 78.7873° W
Raleigh–Durham International Airport
Airport in North Carolina, United States
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for RDU
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 3844; ident KRDU; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
rdu.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
Raleigh–Durham International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
18 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
RDU / KRDU
OurAirports ident
KRDU
GPS / local code
KRDU / RDU
ISO region
US-NC
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
international scheduled-service gateway
Official host
rdu.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q1192962
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 7:10 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--EDT · UTC-04:00
Time zone
EDT
America/New_York · UTC-04:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
18 km
Approximate distance to central Raleigh/Durham.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Washington, D.C.
Languages
English
Currency
USD ($)
Country area
9,525,067 km²
Passenger volume
Source note unavailable
Terminals
Not clearly stated
Runways
3 runways
Longest runway
10,000 ft / 3,048 m
Runway surface
asphalt (2), concrete
Opened / operator
Operational history note unavailable
Owner / entity
Q1192962
Hub airlines
Mixed or not clearly stated
Airport role
international scheduled-service gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
18 source-backed signals
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is a international scheduled-service gateway for Raleigh/Durham, United States. Raleigh/Durham's built-up core sits roughly 18 km from the terminal area. Operations run on America/New_York (UTC-04:00, EDT). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 5 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU / KRDU) is at 35.8787° N, 78.7873° W, elevation 435 ft (133 m), serving Raleigh/Durham, United States.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
Raleigh/Durham is in United States (capital Washington, D.C.); regulated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); on America/New_York (EDT, UTC-04:00); working languages: English; currency: USD ($).
Distance from central Raleigh/Durham: 18 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for RDU.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU / KRDU)
Raleigh–Durham International Airport · Airport in North Carolina, United States
Source identifiers
KRDU · KRDU · RDU · US-NC
rdu.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
Raleigh–Durham International Airport, locally known by its IATA code RDU, is an international airport that serves Raleigh, Durham, and the surrounding Research Triangle region of North Carolina as its main airport.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for RDU; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Location cue
It is located in unincorporated Wake County, but is surrounded by the city of Raleigh to the north and east, and the towns of Cary and Morrisville to the south.
Used to make the airport page location-specific beyond the code, coordinate, and timezone record.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Morrisville
morrisville · 7.0 km from RDU
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 23,820 · city coordinates 35.8235, -78.8256
2. Cary
cary · 9.7 km from RDU
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 159,769 · city coordinates 35.7915, -78.7811
3. West Raleigh
west-raleigh · 15 km from RDU
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 338,759 · city coordinates 35.7868, -78.6639
4. Durham
durham · 16 km from RDU
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 257,636 · city coordinates 35.9940, -78.8986
5. Apex
apex · 17 km from RDU
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 45,585 · city coordinates 35.7326, -78.8503
6. Raleigh
raleigh · 18 km from RDU
United States · America/New_York · +0h · population 482,295 · city coordinates 35.7721, -78.6386
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. GSO KGSO
Piedmont Triad International Airport · Greensboro
106 km from RDU · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 925 ft (282 m) · airport coordinates 36.0994, -79.9373
2. CLT KCLT
Charlotte Douglas International Airport · Charlotte
209 km from RDU · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 748 ft (228 m) · airport coordinates 35.2140, -80.9431
3. RIC KRIC
Richmond International Airport · Richmond
223 km from RDU · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 167 ft (51 m) · airport coordinates 37.5052, -77.3197
4. MYR KMYR
Myrtle Beach International Airport · Myrtle Beach
245 km from RDU · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 25 ft (8 m) · airport coordinates 33.6797, -78.9283
5. ORF KORF
Norfolk International Airport · Norfolk
258 km from RDU · America/New_York · +0h · elevation 26 ft (8 m) · airport coordinates 36.8953, -76.2010
Route-time reference set
1. RDU-GSO
Greensboro · 106 km · 58m
America/New_York · +0h from RDU; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. RDU-CLT
Charlotte · 209 km · 1h 6m
America/New_York · +0h from RDU; reference route only, not a live schedule.
3. RDU-RIC
Richmond · 223 km · 1h 7m
America/New_York · +0h from RDU; reference route only, not a live schedule.
4. RDU-MYR
Myrtle Beach · 245 km · 1h 9m
America/New_York · +0h from RDU; reference route only, not a live schedule.
5. RDU-ORF
Norfolk · 258 km · 1h 10m
America/New_York · +0h from RDU; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
3 runways
Longest runway 10,000 ft / 3,048 m. 3 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (2), concrete
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for RDU.
Runway identifiers
05L/23R · 05R/23L · 14/32
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. GSO KGSO
Piedmont Triad International Airport · Greensboro · 106 km from RDU
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 925 ft (282 m) · 36.0994, -79.9373
2. CLT KCLT
Charlotte Douglas International Airport · Charlotte · 209 km from RDU
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 748 ft (228 m) · 35.2140, -80.9431
3. RIC KRIC
Richmond International Airport · Richmond · 223 km from RDU
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 167 ft (51 m) · 37.5052, -77.3197
4. MYR KMYR
Myrtle Beach International Airport · Myrtle Beach · 245 km from RDU
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 25 ft (8 m) · 33.6797, -78.9283
5. ORF KORF
Norfolk International Airport · Norfolk · 258 km from RDU
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 26 ft (8 m) · 36.8953, -76.2010
6. CHS KCHS
Charleston International Airport · Charleston · 351 km from RDU
large airport · America/New_York · united-states · 46 ft (14 m) · 32.8962, -80.0382
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
The airport covers 5,000 acres (20 km2) and has three runways.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for RDU.
Country and authority
RDU sits in United States (United States of America), whose capital is Washington, D.C.. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Americas, North America.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: English. Currency context: USD ($). RDU is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Reference description
Airport in North Carolina, United States. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Source-specific cues
Regional role cue: Raleigh–Durham International Airport, locally known by its IATA code RDU, is an international airport that serves Raleigh, Durham, and the surrounding Research Triangle region of North Carolina as its main airport. Location cue: It is located in unincorporated Wake County, but is surrounded by the city of Raleigh to the north and east, and the towns of Cary and Morrisville to the south.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q1192962 · Raleigh–Durham International Airport. Administrative area: North Carolina · Wake County · Cedar Fork Township. Named after: Raleigh. Entity official-site cross-check: rdu.com
Field and clock profile
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is a low-elevation field at 435 ft (133 m), positioned at 35.8787° N, 78.7873° W in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 3 runways and a longest runway of 10,000 ft / 3,048 m. The airport clock uses America/New_York (EDT, UTC-04:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Morrisville is the closest retained city-time anchor at 7.0 km. GSO Greensboro is the closest retained airport alternative at 106 km.
Country airport peers
RDU is compared with GSO Greensboro at 106 km, CLT Charlotte at 209 km, RIC Richmond at 223 km, MYR Myrtle Beach at 245 km, ORF Norfolk at 258 km inside the retained United States airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
RDU-GSO Greensboro: 106 km, about 58m, +0h. RDU-CLT Charlotte: 209 km, about 1h 6m, +0h. RDU-RIC Richmond: 223 km, about 1h 7m, +0h. RDU-MYR Myrtle Beach: 245 km, about 1h 9m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident KRDU backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. rdu.com is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
Reference airport
Airline role
Mixed commercial service
Terminal footprint
See operational notes
Runway footprint
3 runways · longest 10,000 ft / 3,048 m
Runway identifiers
05L/23R, 05R/23L, 14/32
OurAirports classifies RDU as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for Raleigh/Durham.
RDU (KRDU) is a low-elevation field at 435 ft (133 m) in the mid-latitudes, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
RDU sits in a broader regional network with 5 nearby curated alternatives, so airline choice and connection strategy are part of the planning story here.
RDU's runway record lists 3 runways, with the longest runway at 10,000 ft / 3,048 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (2), concrete.
Civil aviation oversight for RDU runs through Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); a more specific operator record is not currently in our source set.
- The airport covers 5,000 acres (20 km2) and has three runways.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at rdu.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for RDU
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
RDU uses America/New_York (EDT, UTC-04:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is about 18 km from central Raleigh/Durham; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
GSO Greensboro is the closest retained alternate at 106 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
rdu.com is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place RDU inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
RDU ranks #71 in the curated United States airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 94 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
RDU shares America/New_York with ALB Albany US · ATL Atlanta US · BDL Hartford US · BOS Boston US · BUF Buffalo US · BWI Baltimore US. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
RDU is 435 ft (133 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include ELS 435 ft (133 m) (0 ft delta) · BTS 436 ft (133 m) (1 ft delta) · MEL 434 ft (132 m) (1 ft delta) · SEA 433 ft (132 m) (2 ft delta) · CIA 427 ft (130 m) (8 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
RDU's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are GSO 106 km +0h · CLT 209 km +0h · RIC 223 km +0h · MYR 245 km +0h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro | GSO | 106 km | 58m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Charlotte | CLT | 209 km | 1h 6m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Richmond | RIC | 223 km | 1h 7m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Myrtle Beach | MYR | 245 km | 1h 9m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Norfolk | ORF | 258 km | 1h 10m | +0h | --:--:-- |
RDU to GSO
Greensboro
Distance 106 km; estimated travel window 58m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from RDU. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
RDU to CLT
Charlotte
Distance 209 km; estimated travel window 1h 6m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from RDU. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
RDU to RIC
Richmond
Distance 223 km; estimated travel window 1h 7m; destination zone America/New_York is +0h from RDU. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
The airport sits in the normal outer-ring range for a major metro gateway, so rail, shuttle coach, and ride-hail all matter when you judge the fastest arrival.
Raleigh is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport has 5 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from RDU, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Morrisville
morrisville · 7.0 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Cary
cary · 9.7 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
West Raleigh
west-raleigh · 15 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Durham
durham · 16 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Apex
apex · 17 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Raleigh
raleigh · 18 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Garner
garner · 24 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Chapel Hill
chapel-hill · 24 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Holly Springs
holly-springs · 26 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Carrboro
carrboro · 26 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Wake Forest
wake-forest · 27 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Fuquay-Varina
fuquay-varina · 33 km · America/New_York
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
Raleigh-Durham International Airport does not have a long carrier list in the current source trail, so this page emphasizes the durable pieces travelers can safely use here: local time, field identifiers, nearby airports, and timezone differences.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Greensboro (GSO), Charlotte (CLT), Richmond (RIC). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Terminal footprint: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Runway footprint: 3 runways; longest runway 10,000 ft / 3,048 m; identifiers 05L/23R, 05R/23L, 14/32.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (2), concrete; 3 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Historical opening year: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Network role: mixed or not clearly stated in the source trail.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from RDU. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
Piedmont Triad International AirportGSO
Greensboro · large airport
- Distance
- 106 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 925 ft (282 m)
Compare against GSO when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Charlotte Douglas International AirportCLT
Charlotte · large airport
- Distance
- 209 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 748 ft (228 m)
Compare against CLT when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Richmond International AirportRIC
Richmond · large airport
- Distance
- 223 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 167 ft (51 m)
Compare against RIC when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Myrtle Beach International AirportMYR
Myrtle Beach · large airport
- Distance
- 245 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 25 ft (8 m)
Compare against MYR when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Norfolk International AirportORF
Norfolk · large airport
- Distance
- 258 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 26 ft (8 m)
Compare against ORF when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in?▾
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is in the America/New_York timezone (UTC-04:00, EDT).
What are the codes for Raleigh-Durham International Airport?▾
Raleigh-Durham International Airport uses IATA code RDU and ICAO code KRDU.
Where is Raleigh-Durham International Airport located?▾
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is located in Raleigh/Durham, United States at coordinates 35.8787° N, 78.7873° W, with an elevation of 435 ft (133 m) (low-elevation field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is Raleigh-Durham International Airport from central Raleigh/Durham?▾
Raleigh-Durham International Airport sits roughly 18 km from the nearest mapped city center for Raleigh/Durham.
Which route reference is most useful from RDU?▾
Greensboro (GSO) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 58m, destination timezone America/New_York, and a +0h difference from RDU.
Which authority regulates RDU?▾
Raleigh-Durham International Airport sits inside United States, where civil aviation oversight is led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What other airports in United States are close peers to RDU?▾
RDU's curated peers in United States on this site include GSO Greensboro, CLT Charlotte, RIC Richmond, plus 3 more.
How many runways does Raleigh-Durham International Airport have?▾
Raleigh-Durham International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 3 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 10,000 ft / 3,048 m; identifiers include 05L/23R, 05R/23L, 14/32.