Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (Roger Milliken Field) is near Greer, South Carolina, United States, midway between Greenville and

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

, the major cities of

the Upstate The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...

region. The airport is the second-busiest airport in South Carolina, after Charleston International Airport with about 2.61 million passengers in 2019. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

(FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a small-hub primary commercial service facility.

History

Before construction of the Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), each city had its own airport and competed for airline service. In the mid-1950s

Roger Milliken Roger Milliken (October 24, 1915 – December 30, 2010) was an American textile heir, industrialist, businessman, and political activist. He served as President and then CEO of his family's company, Milliken & Company, from 1947 until 2005. He co ...

, a textile heir, industrialist, businessman (CEO of

Milliken & Company Milliken & Company is an American industrial manufacturer that has been in business since 1865. With corporate headquarters located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the company is active across a breadth of disciplines including specialty chemica ...

), worked with other Upstate business leaders to get a shared airport for the two cities. In 1958 a proposal for an airport between the two cities was presented to the legislative delegation for the two counties, which approved the construction and the creation of an airport commission, headed by Milliken. GSP opened on October 15, 1962, replacing Greenville Downtown Airport as the primary airline destination in the region. In the 1980s, GSP expanded its terminal and cargo facilities, and the runway was lengthened twice in the 1990s. In 2004, the airfield was named for Milliken. Having been served by legacy carriers, with large hubs in nearby

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, GSP had long been plagued with high fares. The arrival of low-cost carriers in recent years has reduced fares and increased passenger figures.

Allegiant Air Allegiant Air (usually shortened to Allegiant) is an ultra low-cost U.S. carrier that operates scheduled and charter flights. It is a major air carrier, the fourteenth-largest commercial airline in North America. Allegiant was founded in 1 ...

began flights to Florida in 2006, and in 2011 Southwest Airlines began service to five cities. Local officials attribute Southwest's presence to an unprecedented 38% growth in passenger figures between 2010 and 2011. In 2011 GSP received an ANNIE Award from ''Airline and Airport News & Analysis'' for being the fastest-growing small airport in the United States. In 2012 the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

's Bureau of Travel Statistics reported that average fares from GSP decreased by 14%; the largest decrease in the country.

Facilities

The airport covers and has one runway, 4/22,

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

/concrete. The airport is mostly in Spartanburg County with a portion in Greenville County. It is in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

, adjacent to sections of Greer. The airport has one terminal building with two concourses: Concourse A (gates A1–A9), and Concourse B (gates B1–B4). The check-in level is the same for all passengers. In 2012 the airport embarked on a four-year, $102 million terminal improvement program which would modernize the terminal and improve passenger flow, as well as prepare for future expansion. Future planning includes several options, i.e., the expansion of the terminal by 300% of its current capacity and the possibility of the addition of second runway, parallel to the existing one. Concourse A is used by American,

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Silver Airways Silver Airways LLC. is a United States regional airline with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former Gulfstream ...

Contour Airlines Contour Airlines is a regional airline headquartered at Smyrna Airport in Smyrna, Tennessee, United States. All Contour Airlines flights are public charters sold and operated by parent company Contour Aviation as a direct carrier. History Cont ...

and

United United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

and

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

use Concourse B. The airport can handle up to 250 passengers per hour through immigration and customs checkpoints. FedEx has a major package facility on the north end of the airport, and BMW has a facility which supports easy transfer of arriving parts to the company's manufacturing facility, three miles to the east. The airport was the facility used for many equestrian teams to deliver horses to and from the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in nearby

Tryon, North Carolina Tryon is a town in Polk County, on the southwestern border of North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,646. Located in the escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, today the area is affluent and a center f ...

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

GSP is serviced by seven passenger airlines and their regional affiliates. All service is domestic.

Cargo

In July 2016 GSP airport and Senator International of Germany announced that a regularly scheduled twice-weekly freight service would begin in November between Greenville/Spartanburg and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The freight service would be the first scheduled international route for the airport. Senator International began the international freight service to

in November, operated by

Air Atlanta Icelandic Air Atlanta Icelandic is a charter and ACMI airline based in Kópavogur, Iceland. It specialises in leasing aircraft on an ACMI (Aircraft, Crews, Maintenance, Insurance) and wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger and c ...

with a Boeing 747-400F aircraft, to both

and Frankfurt–Hahn.

Statistics

Top destinations

Airline market share

Annual traffic

References

External links

Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport
official site * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport Airports in South Carolina Transportation in Greenville, South Carolina Buildings and structures in Greenville County, South Carolina Buildings and structures in Spartanburg County, South Carolina Airports established in 1962 1962 establishments in South Carolina