- Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
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For the airport in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, see Hilton Head Airport.
Savannah / Hilton Head
International AirportIATA: SAV – ICAO: KSAV – FAA LID: SAV Location of the Airport in Georgia
SAVSummary Airport type Public Owner/Operator Savannah Airport Commission Location Savannah, Georgia Elevation AMSL 50 ft / 15.2 m Coordinates 32°07′39″N 081°12′7″W / 32.1275°N 81.20194°W Website Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 10/28 9,351 2,850 Concrete 1/19 7,002 2,134 Concrete Statistics (2006) Aircraft operations 102,852 Based aircraft 112 Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] "Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport' (IATA: SAV, ICAO: KSAV, FAA LID: SAV), formerly Savannah International Airport, Travis Field and Chatham Field, is a joint civil-military airport located 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Savannah, Georgia just off Interstate 95, between Savannah and the city of Pooler, Georgia. It is the chief commercial airport for the three-county Savannah metropolitan area, although nearly 40 percent of the airport's total passenger traffic is bound for Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, located approximately 38.5 miles (approx. 42 minutes) away by car.[2][3]
Despite the airport's name, there are currently no scheduled commercial international flights outside the United States from Savannah/Hilton Head. However, U.S. Customs facilities are on the field and the airport is part of a Foreign Trade Zone. As of 2003, Savannah/Hilton Head had 96,816 annual operations (takeoffs and landings) and 887,095 passenger enplanements, making it second only to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as Georgia's busiest commercial airport.[4]
A terminal expansion project was completed in July 2007, adding five departure gates (for a total of fifteen).[2] A $35 million parking garage was completed in October of the same year, which added 1,700 parking spaces and uses an electronic program to alert drivers to the number of available spaces on each garage level.[2]
Savannah/Hilton Head is served by Delta (along with Delta Connection carriers ASA and Comair), Continental Express, United Express, US Airways, and American Eagle. An information counter provides local information regarding not only tourist attractions in Savannah and Hilton Head but most other coastal areas of Georgia and southern South Carolina.
The airport serves as world headquarters for Gulfstream Aerospace. The Georgia Air National Guard's 165th Airlift Wing is also based at Savannah/Hilton Head International.
Contents
Facilities
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport covers 3,650 acres (14.8 km2) and has two runways:
- Runway 10/28: 9,351 x 150 ft (2,850 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
- Runway 1/19: 7,002 x 150 ft (2,134 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
Airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations American Eagle Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami Continental Airlines Newark Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines Houston-Intercontinental, Newark Delta Air Lines Atlanta Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines Atlanta Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines New York-LaGuardia Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines Detroit, New York-LaGuardia United Express operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines Chicago-O'Hare US Airways Charlotte US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines Charlotte US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines Washington-National, Philadelphia
Seasonal: New York-LaGuardiaMilitary Facilities
Also located on the airport is Savannah Air National Guard Base, home to the 165th Airlift Wing (165 AW) of the Georgia Air National Guard. The 165 AW flies the C-130H Hercules tactical airlift aircraft and, as an Air National Guard (ANG) unit, is under the operational claimancy of the Air Mobility Command (AMC). The 165 AW, to include the collocated Georgia ANG Combat Readiness Training Center, (CRTC) consists of over 310 full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technician (ART) personnel, and over 700 additional "traditional" part-time air national guardsmen.
Savannah ANGB includes over 145 buildings and 239 acres of leased land in the southeast and northeast quadrants of the airport.[5]
History
The first Savannah Municipal Airport opened on 20 September 1929 with the inauguration of air service between New York City and Miami by Eastern Air Express. In 1932 a city resolution names the airport Hunter Field. A trolley car was used as the first terminal at Hunter Field in the mid 1930's. In 1940 the U.S. Army Air Corps proposed a complete takeover of Hunter Field if a war started. While the commercial airlines continued to land at Hunter Field, a decision was made to construct a second Municipal Airport in response to the increased military presence.
The City of Savannah acquired a 600 acre tract in the vicinity of Cherokee Hill, one of the highest elevations in the county, and construction of a new airfield commenced under a WPA project. Three runways were constructed running N-S, E-W, and NE-SW; each 3,600 feet long. In 1942, before the completion of this new airfield, the U.S. Army Air Corps found it necessary to take over the new facility and start additional construction to carry out their mission. They named the airfield Chatham Field and it was used until the end of World War II as a bomber base and crew training base for B-24's and fighter aircraft.
In 1948 Chatham Army Airfield was turned over to the Georgia Air National Guard and the name of the airport was renamed Travis Field, in honor of Savannah native Brigadier General. Robert F. Travis, killed in the crash of a B-29 near Fairfield-Suisun AFB, California, and his brother, Colonel William Travis. To accommodate the airlines, Travis Field received a new control tower and an airline terminal in the former base theater.
In 1958, work began on a new airline terminal. In 1962, an additional extension brought the east/west runway's length to 9,000 ft (2,700 m). Jet service by Delta Air Lines began in 1965 using the Douglas DC-9. Grumman Aircraft opened a $7.5 million Gulfstream manufacturing plant at Travis in 1967. In 1991, Delta Air Lines celebrated 50 years of service to Savannah. A new $21 million terminal building was built on the northwest corner of the airport in 1994.
A six-gate terminal built in 1960 was replaced in 1994 by the current facility. Although the airport has no direct international flights, it was renamed Savannah International in 1983, then Savannah/Hilton Head International in 2003.
Some 3,680 feet (1,120 m) from the west end of Runway 10 (the main east-west runway) are two concrete grave markers. A runway extension project placed the runway through a small family plot and the graves of the airport property's two original owners. Because the family did not want to remove and relocate the graves, the markers were placed in the asphalt runway.
Runway 10 is thought to be the only airport runway in the United States with marked gravestones in it. Federal law generally prohibits the moving of a grave without the permission of the next of kin. In this case, two graves of the Dotson Family, the earliest grave dating backed to 1857, were encountered during the construction of the runway. Since the next of kin could not be located, the graves were left undisturbed. Two additional graves are located off the runway surface.
The new 275,000 sq. ft. Terminal opened in May 1994 with 8 gates (expandable to 19 gates). The project included new roads, a new aircraft taxiway and parking apron, stormwater ponds, landscaping and a new interchange at I-95 for entry into the Airport (Exit 18-A) at mile marker 104. Total costs for the project was $68.5 million and was completed one month ahead of schedule and underbudget.
References
- ^ FAA Airport Master Record for SAV (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20
- ^ a b c "Savannah/Hilton Head Airport expands, updates," Delta Sky Magazine, December 2007. Accessed March 21, 2008.
- ^ Directions from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport to 100 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island Mapquest, Accessed March 21, 2008.
- ^ "Georgia Aviation System Plan Airport Summary Report" Updated Summer 2003, Accessed March 21, 2008.
- ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/savannah-iap.htm
External links
- Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 20 October 2011
- FAA Terminal Procedures for SAV, effective 20 October 2011
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KSAV
- ASN accident history for SAV
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSAV
- FAA current SAV delay information
City of Savannah "The Hostess City of the South" Category | Metropolitan area
Categories:- Savannah, Georgia
- Airports in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Airports established in 1942
- Works Progress Administration in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Buildings and structures in Chatham County, Georgia
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