Facilitating nearly 2 million passenger arrivals and departures per year, Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is the third-busiest airport in the state of South Carolina (behind Charleston International Airport and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport). Owned by Horry County, the airport is located on the site of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base and serves as air travelers’ gateway to the Grand Strand.
Want to know elevate your airport knowledge? Consider these fast facts about Myrtle Beach International:
The airport’s runway is 9,503 feet long — which is nearly 1.8 miles.
MYR’s top three destinations are Charlotte, Atlanta and New York’s LaGuardia.
Passengers can fly directly to 46 different destinations from MYR, ranging from as far south as Forth Lauderdale, Florida, to as far north as Minneapolis, Minnesota, and as far west as Denver, Colorado, to as far east as Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Those looking to travel abroad can fly directly to and from Canadian destination Toronto, Ontario.
Myrtle Beach’s first “airport” was a grass landing strip near the intersection of current-day Seaboard Street and 10th Avenue North (just across Highway 17 from Myrtle Waves Water Park) that was opened in 1928 in an effort to attract wealthy investors to the area. After 10-plus years of using the makeshift runway, Myrtle Beach began building its first real municipal airport in 1939.
Airlines serving Myrtle Beach International include Allegiant Air, United, Delta, Spirit, American, Porter, WestJet, Sun Country, Elite and Frontier. The airport is a focus city for Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines.
The airport’s website, flymyrtlebeach.com, was previously owned by an airport employee who operated it as an unofficial airport website. In 2006, MYR took over flymyrtlebeach.com as the airport’s official website, and a redesigned site was launched in July 2012, along with a new airport logo.
Until 1993 — when Myrtle Beach Air Force Base was closed as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure process — Myrtle Beach International and Myrtle Beach Air Force Base shared the airport’s main runway, which resulted in a limitation of civil flights to 30 landings per day.
Myrtle Beach Airport became an international airport in April 1996.
The airport served as a designated launch-abort site for NASA’s Space Shuttle, but it never had to be used for the purpose.
Looking to explore more of the Grand Strand during your own Myrtle Beach area getaway? Book your vacation at The Strand Resort today, catch a convenient flight into Myrtle Beach International — and get ready for a getaway that is sure to take your family vacation to new heights!
