MORRISVILLE, N.C. — It will soon cost more to park at

Raleigh-Durham International Airport

.

The

rate increase

, which takes effect Sunday, is the first in four years and follows the completion of the airport's parking expansion program, which featured two new parking garages located between the terminals.

Before approving an increase in the parking fees in August, the RDU Airport Authority reviewed parking rates at airports similar to RDU in size and local passenger activity.

The review found that at these airports daily parking near the terminals ranged from $7 to $13 per day. The new rate for daily parking at RDU will now be $10 per day, an increase of $2.

The rate increase follows the completion of a nearly $200 million, six-year parking expansion program. In the early 1990s, the Authority conducted a customer survey that concluded passengers wanted more parking within walking distance of the terminals.