The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority is offering a bumper $2.1 million sweetener for airlines to provide direct services to top-tier international cities.
The airport authority cited Paris and Frankfurt as the kind of destinations they want to attract and said they would waive any landing fees, rent and customs processing fees worth $1.6 million during the first year of service.
In addition, $500,000 will be offered for marketing the new service.
The North Carolina airport has urged the local government match the investment.
At an aviation symposium held Monday in the state, North Carolina State University research said a new international scheduled flight could generate $25 million in spending and 100 direct jobs in the first year.
RDU has been busily acquiring new domestic routes in recent years but has struggled to attract new long haul international airlift.
Currently the only route outside North and Central America from RDU is American Airlines’ scheduled service to London Heathrow.
