Raleigh-Durham International Airport opened on May 1, 1943, initially as a military airfield operated by the Army Air Forces during World War II. Eastern Airlines was the first carrier to serve the field, having actively lobbied for its construction as a stop on the airline's New York-Miami route. The land was formally returned to local governmental ownership in 1946, and commercial development followed quickly: Capital Airlines arrived in 1947, Piedmont Airlines in 1948. The airport's first purpose-built passenger terminal opened in 1955.

RDU sits in Wake County, roughly 11 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh and 10.5 miles southeast of Durham, a geographic middle ground that reflects its founding mission to serve both cities equally. It is the primary gateway for the Research Triangle, a region anchored by Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University, as well as Research Triangle Park, one of the largest research parks in North America. That economic profile shapes the airport's traffic: a high proportion of business travelers, a growing international network, and sustained passenger growth that pushed RDU to a record 14.5 million passengers in 2023.

The airport's most distinctive physical feature is Terminal 2, designed by Fentress Architects and completed in 2 phases in 2008 and 2011. Its rolling roof, supported by a lenticular wood truss system, was designed to echo the hills of the Piedmont region. American Airlines briefly operated a hub at RDU beginning in 1987, flying to 38 cities, before withdrawing in the mid-1990s. Today, Delta Air Lines maintains a focus city operation at the airport, and Avelo Airlines operates a base there. International service has expanded steadily. Lufthansa launched nonstop service to Frankfurt in 2024, joining Aeromexico, Copa Airlines, and others added that same year.