Hilton Head Island Airport runway extension begins; goal is attracting new airline

With the recent completion of one of a series of improvements at the Hilton Head Island Airport, Beaufort County has begun a runway extension aimed at luring new airlines to the area.

Crews recently finished a $7.9-million taxiway relocation project that included the removal of trees and and drainage improvements, according to a county news release.

Taxiway A was relocated 100 feet east of the previous location. The project also included revising the general aviation parking area.

That project, a partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration and the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission, was designed to help “increase airport safety and marketability,” the release said.

“The taxiway project was the first of a series of projects planned for the Hilton Head Island Airport funded through a $13 million grant received from the FAA,” according to the release.

Next up is the runway expansion, which will add about 700 feet to the current 4,300-foot runway.

“We’re presently a single airline airport,” Beaufort County airports director Jon Rembold said in a statement earlier this week. “The runway expansion will allow us to accommodate more modern planes, which we anticipate will attract more airlines. More airlines will give our locals and visitors more choices and better prices.” American Airlines is the sole airlines at the airport.

The first phase and north end of the runway is expected to be complete by the fall, and the full runway project — funded primarily by an $18.9 million grant from the FAA — is expected to wrap up by mid-2018, according to the county news release.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Hilton Head Island Airport runway extension begins; goal is attracting new airline."