Charleston International Airport

Charleston International Airport
IATA: CHS ICAO: KCHS FAA LID: CHS
Summary
Airport type	Public / Military
Owner	Charleston County Joint Base Charleston
Operator	Charleston County Aviation Authority
Location	North Charleston, S.C. (US)
Elevation AMSL	46 ft / 14 m
Coordinates	32°53′55″N 080°02′26″W / 32.89861°N 80.04056°W / 32.89861; -80.04056
Website	Charleston Int'l Airport
Maps
FAA airport diagram
CHS Location of the Charleston International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 03/21 7,004 2,135 Asphalt 15/33 9,001 2,744 Concrete
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 3,418,089 Aircraft operations (incl. military) 105,782
Source: Charleston Co. Aviation Authority

Charleston International Airport (IATA: CHS, ICAO: KCHS, FAA LID: CHS) is a joint civil-military airport located in North Charleston, South Carolina. The airport is operated by the Charleston County Aviation Authority under a joint-use agreement with Joint Base Charleston. It is South Carolina's largest and busiest airport; in 2016 the airport served over 3.7 million passengers in its busiest year on record. The airport is located in North Charleston and is approximately 12 miles (20 km) northwest of downtown Charleston. The airport is also home to the Boeing facility that assembles the 787 Dreamliner.

In 1928, the Charleston Airport Corporation was founded and purchased 700 acres of land previously belonging to a mining company. Although privately developed at first, the City of Charleston floated bonds in 1931 to acquire a portion of the site for passenger service. Within ten years, three runways were paved and outfitted with lighting for nighttime operations. In World War II, control of the airfield passed to the United States Army though civilian service was allowed to continue to use the airfield. After the war, the airfield reverted to civilian use for a short time. In 1949, a new passenger terminal was built.

During the Korean War, the airfield was reactivated for military use and in 1952, the City of Charleston and the United States Air Force reached an agreement on control of the base and the runways—an arrangement that has been renegotiated over time and that continues to this day. In 1979, the civilian portions of the airport were transferred from the City of Charleston to the Charleston County Aviation Authority, which had operated two other airports in the area. The current terminal on the south end of the airport was built in the 1980s on land acquired by Georgia Pacific.