Charleston Afb/Intl Airport
CHS · KCHS · Charleston, South Carolina · Charleston County · map
Charleston Afb/Intl Airport is a public-use airport owned by Usaf, 9 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, 46 feet above sea level. It has 2 runways; the longest, 15/33, is 9,001 feet of concrete. It has a control tower, fuel (100 octane avgas, Jet A-1 with additive) and about 75 general-aviation aircraft based on the field by the FAA's count. The FAA counts about 128,448 takeoffs and landings a year. About 3,122,395 passengers boarded flights here in the FAA's fiscal year 2024.
Quick answers answers refresh every morning
What is the airport code for Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
Its FAA code is CHS, and its ICAO code is KCHS.
Where is Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
It is 9 miles northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, 46 feet above sea level.
How long is the longest runway at Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
The longest of its 2 runways, 15/33, is 9,001 feet long.
Does Charleston Afb/Intl Airport have a control tower?
Yes, it has a control tower.
What fuel can you buy at Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
The FAA's airport file lists 100 octane avgas, Jet A-1 with additive.
Where can you fly nonstop from Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
Airline flights go to 8 airports, the busiest of them Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, Charlotte/Douglas International, Laguardia, Chicago O'Hare International, Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl. Every route
Are there flight schools at Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
3 flight schools, flying clubs or college flight programmes are based within about 15 miles of it, including Charleston Flying Club LLC and Sweetgrass Flyers LLC. Compare them
Where are the nearest FAA examiners to Charleston Afb/Intl Airport?
5 pilot examiners and 5 aviation medical examiners work within 50 nautical miles. See them by name
Weather and planning now, the forecast, warnings, pilot reports, winds aloft, restrictions
Fetching the weather now, the forecast, the warnings in force, pilot reports and the winds aloft for Charleston Afb/Intl Airport…
Wind map live wind over the area, from Windy.com
Colours show wind speed, the moving lines its direction; drag the time bar for the coming days. Map and forecast by Windy.com.
The airport facts, runways, radio, fuel and services, the FAA's remarks
The airport
- Codes
- FAA CHS · ICAO KCHS
- Kind
- Airport · open to the public · owned by the Air Force
- Owner
- Usaf
- Elevation
- 46 feet above sea level
- Control tower
- A control tower with a TRACON · around the clock
- Attended
- around the clock
- Lights
- beacon sunset to sunrise
- Fuel and services
- 100 octane avgas, Jet A-1 with additive; the services card below
- Notes
- certified for airline service (Part 139)
- On the chart
- Charlotte sectional
- Magnetic variation
- 7W
- In the FAA's files since
- October 1937
Runways 2
For understanding the field, not for navigation.
| Runway | Length × width | Surface | Lights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15/33 | 9,001 × 150 ft | Concrete, good | High-intensity lights |
| 03/21 | 7,000 × 150 ft | Concrete, good | High-intensity lights |
- Runway 15: ILS, PAPI, four lights on the left, approach lights with sequenced flashers (ALSF-2)
- Runway 33: ILS, PAPI, four lights on the left, medium-intensity approach lights with runway alignment lights (MALSR)
- Runway 03: PAPI, four lights on the left
- Runway 21: PAPI, four lights on the left
Radio frequencies
| UNICOM | 122.95 | |
| Digital ATIS | 124.75 | Charleston |
| Clearance delivery | 119.85 | |
| Clearance delivery | 127.325 | Charleston |
| Ground | 121.9 | Charleston |
| Tower | 126.0 | Charleston |
| Approach and departure · Baggy and star · Class C airspace arriving from headings 151 to 330 | 120.7 | Charleston |
| Amylu and star · Approach and departure · Class C airspace arriving from headings 331 to 150 | 121.275 | Charleston |
| Emergency | 121.5 | Charleston |
| Charleston and rco | 122.2 | Charleston |
| Operations Palmetto | 134.1 | Charleston |
Automated weather (ASOS), by phone 843-214-2525.
Fuel and services as reported to the FAA
- Fuel
- 100 octane avgas, Jet A-1 with additive
- Repairs
- airframe and engine: major repairs
- Parking
- hangars, tie-downs
- Oxygen
- bulk oxygen (high-pressure)
- Also here
- avionics, charter flights, aircraft sales
Other fields with jet fuel nearby: Charleston Executive (12 nm south), Mount Pleasant Rgnl-Faison Field (13 nm east), Summerville Airport (16 nm northwest).
The FAA's file records what is sold and done at the field, as the airport manager reports it, not who sells it or the price; fuel sellers (FBOs) are not named in any public file. Airports selling jet fuel in South Carolina · avgas.
The FAA's remarks as written in the airport file, spelled out
- Pattern altitude: rectangular 1154 feet AGL/1200 feet above sea level, ovhd 1654 feet AGL/1700 feet above sea level, light aircraft 654 feet AGL/700 feet above sea level, C5A 1954 feet AGL/ 2000 feet above sea level.
- This is a SHARED-USE airport. The usaf owns and operates all runways and the majority of the taxiways. The Charleston county aviation authority operates the civilian terminal and associated taxiways.
- TYPE-H BAK-12A(B) (1260')
- TYPE-H BAK-12A(B) (1460')
- Lights for both runways are AF spec type.
- Liquid oxygen serving available to military.
- No student solo touch and go landing allowed.
- Intensive heavy military jets and other misc aircraft executing numerous cargo and personnel drops, high speed LOW-LEVEL formation flights and misc AIR-TO-GROUND operations.
- Parking on terminal apron restricted to commercial air carrier and aircraft for customs clearance by prior arrangement only.
- Jasu: 8(MD-3M) 2(MA-1A) (M32A-60) (M32A-60A)
- Fluid: soap - routine soap samples not available; SP presair lhox lox
- Oil: NON-DETERGENT oil not available for piston aircraft. O-128-133-148(military)
Flights and activity in the air now, the airlines, based aircraft, takeoffs and landings
Activity now checking the volunteer receiver network…
Within ten miles
- Looking…
Arrivals and departures, last hour
- Looking…
From the volunteer receiver network, a few minutes behind at most; aircraft whose owners asked the FAA not to be displayed are left out; no person is named. Open the live map here.
Scheduled and charter flights from here the DOT's airline reports · August 2025 to July 2026
Airlines reported 32,212 departures from CHS in those twelve months, carrying 3,197,626 passengers in 4,126,292 seats (77% filled), to 139 destinations (11 abroad) on 41 airlines.
All 139 destinations, the airlines and the aircraft, month by month
From the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' T-100 table: every segment an airline reported flying, three months in arrears. Private, business and training flights are not in it; the live picture is in the activity card.
Based aircraft as counted for the FAA, fiscal year 2024
Based aircraft, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| single-engine | 39 |
| multi-engine | 9 |
| jets | 25 |
| helicopters | 2 |
The FAA's count is the general-aviation aircraft kept on the field (singles, twins, business jets, helicopters) from its Terminal Area Forecast, the latest year with an actual count; airline fleets are never counted as based anywhere, so a big airline airport shows a small number. The register section below shows how many aircraft are registered to owners in town, a different measure again.
Takeoffs and landings a year about 128,448, the FAA's fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024)
Takeoffs and landings, as a table
| a year | |
|---|---|
| airline | 61,956 |
| air taxi and commuter | 15,873 |
| general aviation, travelling | 37,752 |
| general aviation, local | 2,652 |
| military | 10,215 |
Local flights stay in the traffic pattern or nearby, often practice; travelling flights arrive from or leave for somewhere else. Counts at airports without a tower are the FAA's estimates. How this compares nationally: Airports by the numbers.
Who flies and works here aircraft registered in town, the companies, the examiners nearby
Aircraft registered in Charleston from the FAA register
95 aircraft are registered to owners in Charleston, South Carolina: 76 piston singles, 6 business jets, 5 turboprops, 5 piston twins, 2 drones. Not every one of them is based at this airport; the based-aircraft count above is the FAA's figure for this airport alone.
Companies and organisations in town with two or more aircraft:
Individuals are counted, not named (the site's policy at this time). All aircraft registered in South Carolina.
Who works here from the FAA's certificate lists and the register
Fuel and service companies in Charleston, by their names on the register (a start, not a directory):
Flight schools, flying clubs and college flight programmes based within about 15 miles:
- Charleston Flying Club LLC 2 aircraft · Charleston
- Sweetgrass Flyers LLC 1 aircraft · James Island, 13 miles away
- Left Seat Flyers LLC 1 aircraft · Mount Pleasant, 15 miles away
Charter operators and airlines based in Charleston:
- Skys the Limit INC 2 aircraft on the certificate
Repair stations in Charleston:
- Charleston Turbine Management, LLC Interstate Turbine is a repair station in Charleston, South Carolina that provides maintenance services for jets, turboprops, and piston engine aircraft, including avionics work.
Companies in the same town as this airport, and schools within about 15 miles of it (each placed at the main public airport of its town, or at the town's centre); not every one of them works from this field. All operators · all repair stations · all flight schools · all FBOs.
Examiners and inspectors nearby designated by the FAA · within 50 nautical miles
5 pilot examiners (the FAA's designated pilot examiners, who give the practical tests for pilot certificates) are based within 50 nautical miles: 3 for private pilot, 3 for commercial and instrument, 2 for flight instructor; 3 for airplanes, 1 for multi-engine airplanes. Also nearby: 5 aviation medical examiners, 2 mechanic examiners, 3 airworthiness representatives (maintenance), 1 engineering representative.
- Donald Hay instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor · Summerville, SC (16 nm) · (843) 412-1999 · [email protected]
- Christopher Robert Peterson private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes · Walterboro Lowcountry Airport · Walterboro, SC (30 nm) · (843) 224-1074 · [email protected]
- Douglas Scott Carmody private pilot (proficiency), instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor · Walterboro, SC (30 nm) · (843) 929-7271 · [email protected]
- Cynthia Hollman private pilot, commercial and instrument, flight instructor, instrument instructor, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes, multi-engine airplanes · Beaufort Executive Airport · Beaufort, SC (42 nm) · (843) 425-8063 · [email protected]
- Matthew Cory Archer private pilot, commercial and instrument, instructor renewals, military competency, ground instructor; airplanes · Beaufort Executive Airport · Beaufort, SC (42 nm) · (843) 263-9997 · [email protected]
All 16 nearby, by kind, with contact details
What each kind does
- DPE: Designated Pilot Examiner: gives the practical tests (checkrides) for pilot certificates and ratings.
- AME: Aviation Medical Examiner: a doctor who issues the medical certificates pilots must hold.
- DME: Designated Mechanic Examiner: tests candidates for the mechanic certificate (airframe and powerplant).
- DAR-T: Designated Airworthiness Representative, maintenance: issues airworthiness certificates and approvals for aircraft in service.
- DER-T: Designated Engineering Representative: approves engineering data for repairs and alterations on the FAA's behalf.
Designees are listed with the name and contact details the FAA publishes for them on its designee locator (read October 10, 2026): the FAA lists them so that pilots, mechanics and companies can find them. Private individuals are not named, the site's policy at this time. A designee who would rather not appear here can ask us through the contact address on the About page. Each designee is placed at the main public airport of the town the FAA lists (or the nearest one to its zip code), so "nearby" means the town, not an exact address. All examiners by state.
Safety record the NTSB's cases at or near this airport
Accidents and incidents at or near this airport NTSB records · 26 since 1982, 3 fatal
Cases the NTSB recorded with this as the nearest airport, newest first. Each opens the full report in plain English. The country as a whole: Where accidents happen.
Nearby within 30 nautical miles
Connections how this airport links to the rest of the register
- Aircraft registered in Charleston 95 aircraft · 76 piston singles, 6 business jets, 5 turboprops
- Major Air LLC 5 aircraft in town
- Itm Aircraft LLC 3 aircraft in town
- Zephair Aviation LLC 2 aircraft in town
- Charleston Flying Club LLC 2 aircraft in town
- Morning Star Aviation Services LLC 1 aircraft · FBO or fuel seller
- Skys the Limit INC 2 aircraft on the certificate · charter operator
- Charleston Flying Club LLC 2 aircraft · flying club
- Sweetgrass Flyers LLC 1 aircraft · flight school
- Left Seat Flyers LLC 1 aircraft · flight school
- Charleston Turbine Management, LLC · repair station
- Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) 3,286 flights in twelve months · Delta Air Lines Inc., Endeavor Air Inc.
- Charlotte/Douglas International (CLT) 2,623 flights in twelve months · American Airlines Inc., PSA Airlines Inc.
- Laguardia (LGA) 2,116 flights in twelve months · Republic Airline, Endeavor Air Inc.
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) 2,035 flights in twelve months · United Air Lines Inc., Envoy Air
- Ronald Reagan Washington Ntl (DCA) 1,676 flights in twelve months · PSA Airlines Inc., American Airlines Inc.
- John F Kennedy International (JFK) 1,635 flights in twelve months · Endeavor Air Inc., JetBlue Airways
- Newark Liberty International (EWR) 1,290 flights in twelve months · United Air Lines Inc., Spirit Air Lines
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI) 1,214 flights in twelve months · Southwest Airlines Co., Spirit Air Lines
- NTSB accidents and incidents at or near this airport 26 since 1982 · 3 fatal
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,035 since 1982 · 172 in the last ten years
- Nearby landing places within 30 nautical miles 8 airports, heliports and seaplane bases
- Public-use airports in South Carolina 67 landing places
- South Carolina 3,111 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/airport/CHS.json.
Facts from the FAA's airport file effective October 1, 2026, written out in plain English; weather from the National Weather Service's aviation weather service; registered aircraft from the FAA register as of October 26, 2026; accidents from the NTSB's public database. Owners are shown only when they are an organisation; no person is named. Check the official sources before a flight: this page is for understanding an airport, not for planning one.