Charleston International Airport is centrally located in the Charleston metropolitan area in North Charleston. The airport is situated adjacent to the Charleston Air Force Base and uses the airfield facilities of the Air Force Base jointly with the USAF.
Charleston International Airport primarily serves passengers whose travel originates or terminates in the tri-county Charleston metropolitan area. In 2011, a total of 2,520,829 passengers were enplaned on the scheduled, commuter and charter airlines serving the airport.
The airfield has a main instrument runway which is 9,000 feet long and 200 feet wide and a crosswind runway which is 7,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. The runways are interconnected by a system of taxiways. Each runway is equipped with high intensity runway lighting and one runway has category II instrument landing systems to permit all weather operation. All runways are constructed on a firm foundation of compacted base and are of sufficient strength to permit the operation of the largest existing commercial aircraft. The FAA control tower provides airport traffic and radar approach control service.
The present passenger terminal complex at the Airport was dedicated March 30, 1985. The terminal complex is a 270,000 square foot structure on three levels with ten gates. The landside of the terminal is served by an eight lane roadway fronting on the second level, connected to an access road loop. The inside of the loop contains public parking facilities for 4,503 vehicles.
Air Cargo facilities include a 21,000 SY facility to the west of the passenger terminal, opened in January 1986.