Hilton Head Island Airport is on Hilton Head Island, in

Beaufort County, South Carolina Beaufort County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 187,117. Its county seat is Beaufort. Beaufort County is part of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Stati ...

, United States. Also known as Hilton Head Island Airport, it is owned by Beaufort County. In the spring of 2019,

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

began seasonal service to its hubs at Chicago-O’Hare, Newark, and Washington-Dulles, and

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

added seasonal service to its Washington-National hub to its existing service to Charlotte. Growth continued in May 2019, when

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

resumed year round service to its hub in Atlanta, as well as adding a new seasonal route to New York-LaGuardia. All of these flights are operated by regional affiliates. One public charter airline operates limited service. It is the only airport on Hilton Head Island. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a ''primary commercial service'' airport. USDOT records say the airport had 56,330 passengers in calendar year 2017. Many U.S. airports use the same three-letter

location identifier A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for staffed air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programm ...

for the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

and IATA, but this airport is HXD to the FAA and HHH to the IATA. The IATA code HHH is used for airline booking.

History

Hilton Head Island has been known for championship golf courses for decades. In the 1960s it was decided that an airport would allow an increase in the number of visitors to the island. Hilton Head Island Airport opened in 1967 with the help of professional golfer

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

. An avid pilot, he also became the first person to land at HXD. On July 5, 2018,

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airline ...

’

Bombardier Dash 8 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...

service was ceased, and Republic Airways began serving Hilton Head Airport with the E175. This marks the first commercially scheduled jet service to the airport. In the past the airport was served by the following: * 1980 - 1984:

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

( Atlantis Airways) with service to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, operated with a

Dash 6 The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...

* 1991 - 1994:

American Eagle Airlines Envoy Air Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered in Irving, Texas, in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The airline is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airline ...

with service to

Raleigh-Durham The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to th ...

, operated with an ATR 42/72 and a

Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different o ...

* April 23, 1995 - May 3, 1997 Midway Connection (

Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

) to Raleigh-Durham, operated with a Beech 1900 * March 1, 1998 - ?:

Continental Connection Continental Connection was a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operated services marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines. As such, all Continental Connection banner carrier services were oper ...

(

Colgan Air Colgan Air was an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air were located in Memphis, Tennessee. Colgan Air operated for Continental Express/United Express, and US Airways Expre ...

) with service to Atlanta, operated with a Beech 1900 * March 12, 2000 - August 6, 2015

US Airways Express US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously ...

with service to Charlotte and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, operated with a

* March 17, 2007 - November 30, 2008:

Delta Connection Delta Connection is a regional airline brand name for Delta Air Lines, under which a number of individually owned regional airlines primarily operate short- and medium-haul routes. Mainline major air carriers often use regional airlines to ope ...

(

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was a regional U.S. airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia, flying to 144 destinations as a Delta Connection carrier on behalf of Delta Air Lines via a code sharing agreement and, as of ...

) with service to Atlanta, operated with an

ATR 72 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed ...

* March 4, 2010 - November 1, 2010:

(

Mesaba Airlines Mesaba Aviation, Inc. (operating as Mesaba Airlines) was an American regional airline based in Eagan, Minnesota From 2010 to 2012 the airline was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation with code sharing flights operated as De ...

) with service to Atlanta, operated with a

Facilities

Hilton Head Island Airport covers 131 acres (53 ha) at an elevation of 19 feet (6 m). Its one runway, 3/21, is 5,000 by 100 feet (1,524 x 30 m). The runway was extended from 4,300 feet to 5,000 feet in the summer of 2018. The FAA had recommended the runway be extended to 5,300 feet but public opinion on Hilton Head Island necessitated a smaller extension. In October 2010, the airport adopted a master plan that called for a 5,400 feet extension. However, that did not come to fruition. Other safety improvements to the airport have been completed since 2018, including the relocation of Taxiway A by 100 feet, added airfield drainage components, removal of trees in the flight path and the revision of the general aviation parking area. The current terminal building was built in 1995. At , it has four airline gates. For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2018, the airport had 37,632 aircraft operations, an average of 103 per day: 81%

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

, 17%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) ...

and 2%

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. In July 2018, there were 89 aircraft based at this airport: 62% single-engine, 26% multi-engine, 9% jet, 2% helicopter and 1%

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Statistics

In 2018, HXD handled 75,620 total commercial passengers. The only commercial route to and from HXD at that time was to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Top destinations

Annual traffic

Airline market share

References

External links

Hilton Head Island Airport
at Beaufort County website
Hilton Head (HXD)
at South Carolina Aeronautics Commission website
Signature Flight Support
the

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, ...

Map of the airport
from OpenStreetMap * * {{US-airport-ga, HXD, HHH Airports in South Carolina Transportation in Beaufort County, South Carolina Buildings and structures in Beaufort County, South Carolina 1967 establishments in South Carolina Airports established in 1967