RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A week after North Carolina legislators stripped Charlotte of the airport it has run for more than 70 years, lawmakers are looking for a way out of the lawsuit and problems that followed.
The state House and Senate voted early Friday to restore Charlotte Douglas International Airport to the city’s ownership but give day-to-day operations to a new commission including representatives from five surrounding counties.
Republican lawmakers last week transferred the country’s sixth-busiest airport and US Airways hub to a regional authority. A judge blocked the move hours later in response to a city lawsuit. The airport’s longtime director was ousted and officials fear bonds will be declared in default.
Lawmakers aimed to please US Airways to keep Charlotte’s airport as its largest flight hub after merging with American Airlines.