That massive decline obviously happened because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RDU said the decline came after a record-setting 2019, where 14.2 million passengers flew out of the airport.
In 2020, a mere 4.9 million passengers came through RDU. The last time RDU saw fewer than 5 million passengers in a year was 1987.
Airport leaders said they hope continued distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will help bring an end to the pandemic and instill confidence in people who want to travel and fly again.