The Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District (GSP) celebrated South Carolina Aviation Week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating its new addition to the cargo facility.
The airport broke ground earlier this year on a 50,000-square-foot expansion and doubled the capacity of the current facility in order to support the demand for freight shipments. In 2021, GSP ranked No. 21 in the nation for international freight tonnage, along with handling 96,000 tons of cargo, increasing more than 48% in 2020, according to U.S. Trade Numbers.
In 2019, GSP opened the 111,000-square-foot air cargo facility and 17 acres of aircraft parking apron. The facility opened to assist the growing demand for freight services in the Upstate and positioned the Upstate to capitalize on the increasing demand for freight services in the Southeast.
Air cargo operations in the GSP generated $5.5 billion in international trade for the Upstate, along with a $2.9 billion annual economic impact from a study in 2018, according to David Edwards, GSP president and CEO.
“We continue to see record-breaking volumes of cargo come through our world-class facility. This expansion will position us to continue to be a major player in the international supply chain. It’s incredibly gratifying to be a part of the aviation industry’s meaningful impacts on South Carolina,” Edwards said.
Several officials spoke before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Minor Shaw, chair of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission, and State Senator Josh Kimbrell and South Carolina Rep. Rita Allison.
“In order to grow in the future, we want to make sure that we’re making these investments in air cargo in order to… have that positive economic impact that we’re all looking for in our community,” Edwards said.
South Carolina Aviation Week highlights the impact of airports and the aviation industry on the state’s economy. Each year, the annual event is held in relation to aviation pioneer Orville Wright’s birthday and National Aviation Day on Aug. 19.
