Sen. Paul Campbell — Charleston International Airport

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AUG. 19, 2014 — Our club was privileged to have State Senator Paul C. Campbell, Jr., speak to us on the Charleston International Airport.  Sen. Campbell, a fellow Rotarian and past president of the Summerville Rotary Club, is the Director of Airports for the Charleston County Aviation Authority (the CCAA).  Sen. Campbell grew up in Chester, South Carolina, and obtained his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clemson University in 1968.  He has spent over 40 years in the chemical and metallurgy industry and is currently a consultant for Alcoa.  He lives in Goose Creek with his wife, Vicki, and they have three children.  As one might expect of a fellow Rotarian, Sen. Campbell exemplifies the motto of service above self by being active in his community, having served on the Board of Visitors at his alma mater, the Board of Governors at the College of Charleston School of Business, Trident Technical College Foundation and many other state and local organizations.

As Director of Airports for the CCAA Sen. Campbell oversees an operation which includes three airports, the international airport in North Charleston, Johns Island Executive Airport and Mount Pleasant Regional Airport.  His organization has an annual budget of $35 million and controls assets valued at $230 million.  Charleston International is by far the larges airport in South Carolina being almost twice as large as the next largest airport in the state, Greenville-Spartanburg.  In 2013 the airport handled 2.91 million passengers and expects to handle as much as 3.4 million passengers this year.  It is the 16th largest airport in the United States with 17 daily non-stop destinations averaging 124 daily commercial flights.

Charleston International Airport uses the airport jointly with the Charleston Air Force Base and is the largest joint use facility in the United States.  Between Boeing, the air force base and all other airport facilities and tenants, the airport complex employs 34 thousand people providing an annual economic impact of about $7 billion.  With such an important impact on the local community, it is not surprising that construction and improvement of facilities is a top priority for Sen. Campbell’s team at the CCAA.

The Terminal Redevelopment & Improvement Program or TRIP is the first major reconstruction effort for the airport since it was constructed in the 1980s.  It has a budget of $189 million and will increase the building footprint by a third, increasing the gates from 10 to 15 and increasing from two the three baggage carousels.  The finished product will increase the sense of light and spaciousness in the terminal and the additional of the new TSA screening facility will make embarkation easier for all passengers.  Already the rental car pavilion and baggage claim improvements have been completed and expansion of Concourse B and the TSA screening facility should be coming online in the spring of 2015.  Sen. Campbell invited all to follow the construction progress at the TRIP website – www.chs-trip.com.

With a budget of $189 million the TRIP project is certainly substantial, but Sen. Campbell pointed out that the CCAA does not receive any tax revenues.  The annual budget and the TRIP project are paid for from revenues generated by the airport.  Parking is the biggest revenue generator for the airport followed by rental car activities.  While the TRIP project is a much needed upgrade of airport facilities, the growth of the Charleston airport complex and the Charleston region in general, will require a continued focus on facility enhancement and expansion at the CCAA and Sen. Campbell noted that the CCAA has a 30-year strategic plan to address those needs in the coming years.

— Submitted by Alex Dallis