Joint use of Myrtle Beach Air Force Base was first agreed in 1955. The airport and terminal was constructed in 1975 and opened in 1976. On April 20, 1977, an agreement between the City of Myrtle Beach and the U.S. Department of Defense was signed, which incorporated the area of Myrtle Beach Airport into the city. Until 1993, both MYR and Myrtle Beach AFB jointly used the main runway; this limited civil operations to 30 landings per day and led to a local business movement to build an entirely new airport. In the 1980s, the airport was served by Piedmont Airlines mainline aircraft and by Delta and Easterncommuter aircraft. In 1993, the Air Force closed the base as a result of BRAC 1991. The runway and other portions of the former military flight line were then turned over to the Horry County Department of Airports. American Eagle became a major carrier at MYR in the early 1990s, operating multiple daily ATR 72 flights to the American Airlines hub at Raleigh–Durham International Airport. By late 1994 this route accounted for as much as 12% of the airport's passenger traffic; however, American abruptly ended its American Eagle hub at Raleigh–Durham in December 1994, cancelling all service to MYR and other secondary airports in the region. American returned to Myrtle Beach in 2010 with a seasonal service to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. On April 1, 1996, Myrtle Beach Airport became an international airport. A new international terminal had its grand opening August 21 of that year, and a new logo was unveiled "to reflect the architectural design of the airport's terminal and the influence of the beach by showing a pained window and a palm tree in blues and greens". The airport served as the main hub for Hooters Air from 2003 until 2006. The airport authority offered discounted hangar space and other undisclosed benefits to Hooters Air operator Pace Airlines in an effort to relocate its operating base from Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. However, Pace decided to keep its base in Winston-Salem. In 2006 AirTran Airways discontinued its service to Atlanta; it was the fourth-largest airline serving Myrtle Beach International at the time. Direct Air connected a number of airports to Myrtle Beach from 2007 until 2012, when it abruptly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations. The failure of Direct Air caused a slump in passenger traffic at Myrtle Beach, which declined 16% in 2012 but rebounded in 2013. WestJet began service to Toronto in summer 2013 with a revenue guarantee from Horry County, but its passenger numbers fell short of expectations, forcing the county to pay WestJet around $570,000. The airport was a designated launch abort site for the Space Shuttle, but was never used.
Renovations
In 2008 two renovations took place in the terminal building. In July 2010, the FAA approved a $4.50 passenger facilities charge on all airline tickets to and from MYR in order to defray part of the cost for the terminal upgrade.
Facilities and aircraft
Myrtle Beach International Airport covers an area of 3,795 acres at an elevation of 25 feet above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt and concrete surface measuring 9,503 by 150 feet. The airport's entrance is on Harrelson Boulevard. The Dr. W.L. Harrelson Terminal Building is named for Myrtle Beach's first mayor, Dr. Wilford Leroy Harrelson, who served from March 1938 to December 1939 and again from January 1942 to December 1943. The city purchased land for the municipal airport during his first term, and the terminal at the airport was named in his honor. MYR has a dedicated helipad primarily used by charter tour companies at the base of runway 36. For the 12-month period ending January 31, 2018, the airport had 121,867 aircraft operations, an average of 334 per day: 62% air taxi, 17% scheduled commercial, 16% general aviation, and 5% military. At that time, 58 aircraft were based at the airport: 37 single-engine, 14 multi-engine, 1 jet, and 6 helicopter. The airport had a dedicated air cargo building at the entrance of the airport. This building closed a few years ago and is used primarily by airport maintenance for storage.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Airline market share
Top destinations
Annual traffic
Accidents and incidents
On July 23, 1950, a USAFCurtiss C-46 Commando crashed 1.9 miles west of Myrtle Beach AFB when the left aileron detached after takeoff and lost control at an altitude of about 1000-2000 feet. Both wings failed and the aircraft crashed. All four crew and 35 occupants were killed.
