OREANDA-NEWS. Last year, Charlotte Douglas experienced the largest passenger growth among top ten airports in the country, according to 2013 preliminary rankings by Airports Council International (ACI). CLT welcomed 43,457,471 million travelers in 2013. It was a 5.4 percent jump from 41,228,372 million passengers in 2012.

The increase maintained CLT's eighth nationwide and 23rd worldwide passenger traffic rankings.

Charlotte Douglas also held its positions as sixth nationwide and seventh worldwide in operations. Last year, CLT oversaw 557,948 aircraft movements, an 1.1 percent bump from 2012, which had 552,093 landings and departures.

Airport officials attribute much of the gain to added flights by airlines who serve CLT. US Airways began nonstop service to Sao Paulo, Brazil in June 2013, and Southwest Airlines launched service in April 2013.

Additional flights are scheduled  to start  this year. US Airways will introduce international nonstop seasonal service from Charlotte Douglas to Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal, Manchester, England and Brussels, Belgium later this spring. The airline will also begin regional twice-daily, nonstop service to Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport and Tulsa International Airport in July at CLT.

As the second largest hub on the east coast, CLT offered nonstop service to 146 destinations and averaged 714 daily departures and landings in 2013.