Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport - History

History

Prior to GSP, Greenville and Spartanburg had separate airports and competed for airline service. Roger Milliken and other Upstate business leaders helped to create the vision of a shared airport facility. In 1958 a proposal to build an airport between the two cities was presented to the legislative delegation for the two counties, which approved the construction and the creation of an airport commission headed by Milliken.

GSP opened for service on October 15, 1962, replacing Greenville Downtown Airport as the primary airline destination in the Upstate region. In the 1980s the airport expanded its terminal and cargo facilities; the runway was twice lengthened in the 1990s. In 2004 the airfield was named in Milliken's honor.

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