Airport director updates committee on Hilton Head terminal progress, airline service and tower safety concerns

John, airport director for the Beaufort County airports, told the committee the Hilton Head terminal expansion is advancing and that all three legacy carriers will be back in time for an upcoming tournament.

The update matters because the terminal work, airline service levels and equipment in the tower all affect passenger access, airport revenues and air-traffic safety in a busy regional airspace.

John said Delta, United and American “are back in service, starting next week,” and that parking around the terminal is already increasing. He walked committee members through recent progress at the terminal: completed walkways and canopies, most windows installed, the new TSA screening path and automated exit lanes, and pending paving and tie-ins to the older building. John said paving of “the second two lanes will happen very shortly.”

The director also reported recent outreach in Washington, D.C., and Columbia where airport leaders and state congressional staff discussed airport infrastructure and funding. John summarized findings from an ACI North America infrastructure report and noted the longstanding debate about raising the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). He said the current PFC is “$4.50” and characterized proposals under discussion as roughly “$8 per ticket, roughly” if the charge were raised by the amounts described in the briefing.

Committee members and staff discussed federal regulatory constraints, with John describing “strangulation by regulation,” meaning FAA controls on allowable uses of federal airport funding and how those requirements limit the airport’s ability to operate like a business.

Safety in the control tower drew sustained attention. John described limits to the tower’s visual/radar capability and said Savannah’s radar sometimes sees aircraft arriving at Hilton Head while the aircraft communicating with Hilton Head Tower are not visible to Savannah. He called that “a crazy system” and said the airport has been pursuing options, including asking the nearby military air station whether a radar feed might be available. “The help and the safety that would be increased by having a visual display in the tower would be enormous,” John said.

John said he and staff will pursue further discussions with the air station and congressional staff and may seek committee support for advocacy letters. He said FAA study timelines and funding remain uncertain.

Other operational notes in the director’s report: Signature Aviation, the fixed-base operator, is near capacity for transient aircraft ahead of the tournament; contractors and concessionaires should watch Beaufort County procurement listings for upcoming bid opportunities including an airfield drainage project; and a temporary runway/airfield closure for drainage work is planned in late April with overlay work anticipated later in the summer.

The director closed by asking the committee to help coordinate any visits or briefings for county and hotel officials and thanked staff and volunteers for supporting the airport’s outreach during the tournament week.

Looking ahead, the airport plans follow-up work on tower radar options with local military and federal staff and will continue monthly site walk-through videos to show terminal construction progress.