Charleston Regional Airport District

Charleston Regional Airport District, doing business as Charleston International Airport, is a U.S. local government entity and airport authority that operates as a federal grant recipient, receiving infrastructure and operational funding from the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration to develop and maintain Charleston International Airport in North Charleston, South Carolina. The airport authority competes exclusively in full-and-open grant programs; it holds no federal contracts and no set-aside designations.

Charleston International Airport's federal grant footprint centers on airport infrastructure modernization, planning, and pandemic relief funded through the FAA's Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106), the Airport Infrastructure Grants program (CFDA 20.117), and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriations. Recent representative grants include a $4.995 million Airport Infrastructure Grant awarded August 20, 2026, to expand the existing terminal by 21,000 square feet and reduce operational delays, paired with a $1.091 million Airport Improvement Program grant for the same terminal expansion project; a $13.76 million Airport Improvement Program grant awarded September 8, 2025, to modernize 21,000 square feet of terminal space including expansion of the checked baggage inspection system and installation of a third explosive detection system; a $2.431 million Airport Improvement Program grant awarded July 8, 2025, for final-phase construction rehabilitation of 3,700 feet of Runway 17/35 and 4,500 feet of Taxiway A; and a $1.897 million grant awarded August 26, 2024, to reconstruct fifteen passenger boarding bridges and replace related systems. The airport also received multiple COVID-19 pandemic relief grants totaling $17.6 million (awarded December 8, 2021) under the American Rescue Plan Act to support operations, personnel, cleaning, and debt service through 2025. Planning-phase grants fund master plan updates, pavement management studies, stormwater and drainage assessments, environmental master planning, and safety management system documentation. The airport has received 165 federal grants with a combined potential value of $36.7 million; actual obligated dollars total $198 million, reflecting multi-phase projects where preliminary grants fund design or site preparation and subsequent grants fund construction or implementation.

The Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Southern Region is the primary grantor, accounting for 44 awards, with the broader FAA administration accounting for an additional 28 awards combined. A small cohort of non-airport awards to TSA ($19.3 million combined potential value across 8 awards) and GSA Public Buildings Service ($2.1 million across 4 awards) represent facility lease and security obligations unrelated to airport operations.

Work is performed at North Charleston, SC 29418, with project completion dates extending through 2030. Two awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal near-term recompete exposure for the airport authority.