More than 4.1 million people have flown in and out of Charleston International Airport so far this year, a record, the Charleston County Aviation Authority said Thursday.
Just over 400,000 passengers used the airport in November, bringing the total for the first 11 months of 2018 to 4,124,370, the authority said. It plans to release the full-year count next month.
“Topping 4 million passengers is a significant milestone,” the authority said. In October, it reported that more than 3.3 million travelers had passed through the airport’s gates through September, up 12% from the same period of 2017, putting the airport on a record-setting pace.
“Our success is thanks to the continued support from our customers and from our airlines whose commitment to providing great destinations and expanded air service is unmatched,” said Paul G. Campbell Jr., the authority’s executive director and CEO. “New airlines give our customers more choices for nonstop travel, and help spur new passenger growth that benefits all our air carriers.”
Two new carriers started flying from Charleston this year. Frontier Airlines launched nonstops to Denver and Philadelphia on Feb. 20, and Allegiant began seasonal flights to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Indianapolis in early April, according to the airport. They joined American, Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, United and Alaska Airlines.
Existing airlines have also added passengers by replacing smaller aircraft with planes that seat 100 or more people and by adding destinations and routes, the authority said.
The next addition is the airport’s first transatlantic route. British Airways plans to begin twice-weekly flights between Charleston and London’s Heathrow Airport on April 4.
