Charleston International Airport (CHS) in 2023 surpassed 6 million passengers — marking its busiest year ever. The airport’s 2023 activity — at just over 6.1 million travelers — was 15% greater than its previous record of 5.3 million passengers set in 2022. The airport saw a notable increase in travelers for the 2023 holiday season as numbers climbed above 105,000 during Christmas week alone.
“The year-end numbers demonstrate why CHS is South Carolina’s favorite airport among airline passengers,” an airport official said today in a press release. “We have been laser-focused on developing an airport gateway that appeals to business and leisure travelers and visitors, drives the regional economy, and serves as a hub for commerce.”
And with 59 flights per day, the airport took spot 85 in online flight directory FlightsFrom.com’s 2023 list. It was released earlier this week as a ranking of busiest airports in North America by the number of flights.
Expect even more flights from the airport as 2024 unravels. Air Canada in December announced it would add the airport as a nonstop destination, making it the first airline to offer a daily international flight in the state. ”Flights will service between CHS and Toronto’s Pearson International Airport beginning March 28, 2024,” the Charleston City Paper reported.
What’s more, Breeze Airlines this coming year is adding a nonstop service to New York’s Stewart International Airport twice weekly. And direct flights from the Lowcountry to Los Angeles will return here in the summer.
Officials look toward ongoing expansion
All of these historic airport firsts occurred just after the field in late 2022 proposed plans for an ongoing 20-year expansion. The project is expected to occur in two phases and add 11 gates, a new parking garage and extra space to the ticketing hall. State officials in January 2023 approved funding to build an access road, slated to cost $144 million.
The airport’s first comprehensive renovation wrapped up in 2016, a project which modernized the facility and multiplied the scale of its operations. And throughout the past three years, the airport has expanded its jet fuel storage building, constructed three new gates and added 3,000 parking spaces.
Officials said the airport is anticipating even more growth this year with more infrastructure, more development and more travelers.
“With the continued confidence of our airline partners and the growth in capacity planned at CHS, the trend [of record-breaking numbers] is expected to continue in 2024,” the release said.
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