A bigger and brighter airport terminal is partly why passenger traffic was strong in November at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, officials said.
GSP President and CEO David Edwards said passenger traffic was up 9.1 percent for the month over the previous November, according to the latest numbers available.
November is traditionally a busy month because of Thanksgiving, when families fly across the country to be with each other, GSP spokeswoman Rosylin Weston said.
But officials said a big reason the numbers are up is because of the completion last May of the $125 million WINGSPAN terminal improvement project, which started in 2012.
“The airport is so much nicer, made even better with the completion of our terminal renovation,” Weston said. “This was the first November since the project was completed.”
The project added new restaurants in the Grand Hall, including Chick-fil-A and DC-3, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck and Palmetto Distillery, which is expected to open this month.
Artwork has been placed throughout the terminal, skylights make it brighter and the garden with reflecting pool in front of the terminal was enlarged. In addition, the concourses were enlarged, new baggage claim carousels added, and walkways to parking garages covered.
Passenger traffic was also up 14.1 percent in October, which can be at least partly attributed to the renovations, Weston said.
The total number of passengers at GSP in November was 194,779 — up over 178,454 in the same month in 2016 and 170,565 in 2015.
The new terminal can accommodate up to 4 million passengers a year, double the number that flew in or out of GSP in 2016.
Cargo air traffic in November — which includes express, mail and freight — was up 49.8 percent over November 2016, according to Edwards.
Weston said more businesses and industries are using the service, which expanded in October 2016 with the addition of trans-Atlantic trips launched by Senator International of Germany.
In the fall, GSP announced plans to build a 120,000-square-foot warehouse and apron large enough to accommodate up to three 747-800 cargo jets. It’s part of a $50 million infrastructure improvement project to meet the needs of continued growth in the Upstate, including Senator International’s growing air cargo service.
Senator's cargo service has grown from nine flights in October 2016 to 13 flights this past November, Weston said.
Imports of goods via cargo flights has increased from 115,000 pounds in November 2016 to 180,000 pounds in November 2017. Exports have grown from 57,000 pounds in November 2016 to 100,000 pounds this past November.
Last-minute cargo flights have grown from nine in November 2016 to 68 in November 2017, Weston said.