Greg Kelly: Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport

November 22, 2023

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Photo courtesy Savannah Airport

One of the unspoken heroes of Savannah’s rebirth only goes unspoken because it’s always been there. Those of us who have lived here long enough can remember walking past the soaring winged fountain to access Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (then just Savannah International Airport) and having nothing above us but sky.

Today, that statue sits at the head of a soaring atrium in a towering new parking structure that services an airport which has grown by similar leaps and bounds. “If you go back prior to 2013, we had good air service from the legacy carriers into key hubs, but there wasn’t much overlap,” said Greg Kelly, executive director of the Savannah Airport Commission. “Then our air service partners convinced JetBlue to start service here… that was the game changer. From then forward it’s been nonstop growth.” In partnership with local chambers, the airport formed the Air Service Development Task Force with the mission of expanding the number of carriers, the number of flights and the number of opportunities for the city of Savannah the airport could represent. Through their efforts, large carriers like Delta, American and United have been joined by carriers such as Allegiant, Breeze and Frontier to exponentially expand the options available. “These strategies paid off by being proactive,” he said, adding that the legacy carriers soon began adding capacity in Savannah as soon as the smaller airlines moved in. “That’s a direct result of the efforts we’ve put forth. The carriers recognize they need to be a part of this market.” But the benefits of all these new options go beyond simply travelers looking for a cheaper flight. Combining the appeal of Savannah and Hilton Head Island opened the entire region up to a massive chunk of the world that might not have otherwise made their way to the Lowcountry. “The flipside is that it helped these CVBs and chambers that are advocating for our area as a leisure and business destination,” he added. That will only accelerate as the next stage in the airport’s growth begins – a new parking garage (goodbye overflow lot!), new surface lot and a four-gate expansion of the terminal are all in the works. “When you come out to the airport, you’re seeing construction all over. It’s a ‘pardon our mess so we can grow’ situation,” he said. “The, air carriers want to grow, so we need to build to support the growth of the air carriers.”

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