Columbia Metropolitan Airport

Columbia Metropolitan Airport is the leading commercial, and public-use airport of Columbia, and the region of the Midlands, in South Carolina. The airport is located within five miles (8 km) south-west of Columbia, in Lexington County. The area surrounded by the city of Cayce and the towns of Springdale, Pine Ridge, and South Congaree. Besides, the airport is a main, regional cargo hub for UPS Airlines. The airport code for IATA is CAE, FAA LID code is referred to as CAE, and the ICAO code is KCAE. Columbia Metropolitan Airport is owned and operated by Richland-Lexington Airport District.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport

General Information

Columbia Metropolitan Airport is the leading commercial, and public-use airport of Columbia, and the region of the Midlands, in South Carolina. The airport is located within five miles (8 km) south-west of Columbia, in Lexington County. The area surrounded by the city of Cayce and the towns of Springdale, Pine Ridge, and South Congaree. Besides, the airport is a main, regional cargo hub for UPS Airlines. The airport code for IATA is CAE, FAA LID code is referred to as CAE, and the ICAO code is KCAE. Columbia Metropolitan Airport is owned and operated by Richland-Lexington Airport District.

Capacity

Columbia Metropolitan Airport occupies around 2,600 acres (which is 1,100 ha), and also, the airport consists of two runways. The CAE airport is the main hub for UPS Airlines, and previously, it was a hub for Air South, which was a former low-cost carrier.

Aircraft and Passenger Flight operations

According to the statistics, in 2017, the CAE airport had about 53,750 aircraft operations during a year, with an average of 147 daily activities, from which 37% is for air taxi, 38% for general aviation, 22% for airline and the 3% is for the military. Around 87 aircraft were based at the CAE airport: 47 were single-engine, nine were multi-engine, 28 were jets, two gliders, and 1 was a helicopter.

Concerning the annual passenger traffic, each year, CAE airport serves around 1 million air traveler passengers, though before the Great Recession, by which nearly 1.5 million travelers were served in total.

Business Activity

At Columbia Metropolitan Airport, passenger service is nowadays provided and managed by five scheduled airlines. Along with the passenger airlines, the airport offers commercial cargo service, which is handled via numerous air freight operators, as well as by three scheduled airlines. CAE is served by two fixed-base operators that serve the Metro facility along with different charter flights. The airport features a new air cargo terminal, Foreign Trade Zone #127, and the Columbia Airport Enterprise Park, shortly referred to as CAE Park. Columbia Metropolitan Airport recently finished the renovation and expansion of a $45 million terminal.

History

In 1940, Columbia Metropolitan Airport was built and named as Lexington County Airport. In 1940, there was the need to build the airfield, which would be used for air forces as World War II started in Europe. Hence the United States Army Air Corps reported the need, and the airport establishment started.

Airlines and Destinations

Columbia Metropolitan Airport is served by six airlines that offer more than 36 daily, round-way flights to and from around eight non-stop destinations. All these airlines connect the region of Columbia to many other cities throughout the United States. CAE is served by the following airlines: American Airlines, American Eagle, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, United Express, and ViaAir.