Judge issues injunction to stop airport takeover
Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 1, 2013
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina judge is issuing an injunction preventing the state from stripping Charlotte Douglas International Airport from the city until the Federal Aviation Administration weighs in on the issue.
Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin’s ruling Thursday is the latest development in Charlotte’s legal fight to maintain control over the airport, which it has run for more than 70 years.
The Charlotte City Council is challenging the General Assembly’s move to give day-to-day operations of the airport to a new commission.
The city says legislation creating the commission is unconstitutional, adding that the FAA is raising concerns. But attorneys for the new commission called the transfer of power routine.
After a three-hour hearing, Ervin says there was no harm in waiting to see what the FAA says about the change.