Charleston airport closes as Hurricane Ian moves in
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By Pete Muntean, Gregory Wallace and Marnie Hunter, CNN
Hurricane Ian is dealing another blow to air travel as it moves up the East Coast. The main airport in Charleston, South Carolina, has closed, while many airports in Florida are reopening on Friday.
Charleston International Airport airfield has closed because of high winds from Hurricane Ian, the airport announced Friday morning on Twitter. There are plans to reopen at 6 a.m. Saturday.
North of Charleston, Myrtle Beach International Airport posted Thursday afternoon that it would remain open. However, about 90% of Friday’s flights there were canceled, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, south of Charleston along the Georgia/South Carolina border, said on its website that it would remain open, with flight disruptions possible.
Passengers flying to or through areas affected by Hurricane Ian should check with their airlines about flights.
In Florida, most airports plan to reopen Friday. There were still hundreds of flight cancellations in the wake of the storm, and about 150 cancellations of flights arriving or departing Charleston.
Airports starting to reopen
In Florida, most of the airports that closed or saw flights suspended indicated plans to reopen Friday. Daytona Beach International, Southwest Florida International and Punta Gorda Airport remained closed as of midday Friday.
Jacksonville International Airport announced that it would reopen on Friday. The airport said some airlines might operate reduced schedules, so passengers are advised to check with their airlines.
Orlando International Airport was to reopen at noon Friday, according to a verified tweet from the airport.
Tampa International Airport said it would reopen at 10 a.m. Friday.
CEO Joe Lopano said in a statement that Tampa International is “very lucky to have come out on the other side of this largely unscathed.”
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport anticipates reopening by late Friday, CEO Rick Piccolo told CNN. He watched from his office as the storm pulled apart the airport’s roof.
“While we won’t look as pretty as we used to because the ceiling’s all gone, we’ll be functional,” he said.
St. Pete-Clearwater International planned to reopen Friday morning.
Melbourne Orlando International Airport — one of the smaller commercial airports in Florida with service from Allegiant, American and Delta — said it planned to reopen at 6 a.m. Friday.
Orlando Sanford International Airport opened on Friday, but the airport said that airlines canceled all Friday departures.
Gainesville Regional was expected to reopen at 8 a.m. Friday.
Key West International Airport reopened at 7 a.m. Thursday, the airport said on its website.
More operational updates
Daytona Beach International Airport remains closed.
The airport posted an update Thursday evening at 8 p.m. saying that the airport’s air field and terminal building are closed and that all Friday departing and arriving American and Delta flights are canceled.
Southwest Florida International (Fort Myers-Lee County) is closed to commercial flights; however, it’s open to emergency personnel and humanitarian flights.
Hard-hit Punta Gorda Airport experienced “extensive” damage to hangars at the airport and does not have power in the passenger terminal, CEO James Parish told CNN on Thursday.
Once power is restored, Parish said the airport will make plans to restore service from Allegiant Air.
Travelers are advised to check airport websites and social media postings as well as with their airlines for specific information and to confirm timing.
The following international airports in Florida are open but some flights could be delayed and canceled:
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
• Miami International
• Palm Beach International
• Northwest Florida Beaches International (Panama City-Bay County)
• Pensacola International
• Tallahassee International
Flight cancellations
More than 1,800 Friday flights in the United States had been canceled by midday Friday.
On Thursday, more than 2,000 US flights were canceled, according to data from flight tracking site FlightAware. And more than 2,100 US flights were canceled on Wednesday.
The airports in Orlando and Tampa led with the most cancellations Thursday.
US airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest and United, have introduced flexible change policies for impacted passengers.
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CNN’s Forrest Brown and Joe Sutton contributed to this report. Top image: The arrival and departures board lists numerous flight cancellations at Tampa International Airport on September 27, 2022. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
