The status of airports impacted by Hurricane Ian
By Pete Muntean, Gregory Wallace and Marnie Hunter, CNN
Hurricane Ian dealt another blow to air travel as the storm moved up the East Coast.
The main airport in Charleston, South Carolina, closed on Friday, while many airports in Florida were reopening.
Charleston International Airport’s airfield closed because of high winds from Hurricane Ian, the airport announced Friday morning on Twitter. The airport planned 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 reopened Friday. There were still hundreds of flight cancellations there in the wake of the storm.
About 90% of flights arriving or departing Charleston were canceled, and there were hundreds of cancellations Friday to and from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
Airports 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 on Friday.
Jacksonville International Airport announced that it would reopen on Friday. The airport said some airlines might operate reduced schedules.
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 reopened on Friday, but several carriers did not resume operations.
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 — 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 set 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 remained closed on Friday except to government, emergency and humanitarian aircraft, according to Volusia County.
Commercial air carrier traffic is scheduled to resume Saturday morning.
Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers was closed to commercial flights on Friday. The airport announced that people could retrieve cars parked in their long- and short-term parking lots on Friday.
The FAA listed RSW’s closure until October 7, but the airport says it will open sooner if possible. “Like everyone in Southwest Florida we are going day-by-day. We cannot speak on behalf of the airlines; but, like us, they want to start flying as soon as possible.”
Hard-hit Punta Gorda Airport experienced “extensive” damage to hangars at the airport and was without power in the passenger terminal, CEO James Parish told CNN on Thursday.
Once power is restored, Parish said the airport would 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 1,900 Friday flights in the United States had been canceled by early evening on 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. Orlando and Charlotte had the most cancellations on Friday.
US airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest and United, have introduced flexible change policies for impacted passengers.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Forrest Brown, Joe Sutton and Rebekah Riess 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)
