Asheville Regional Airport is a Class C airport near Interstate 26 and the town of Fletcher, North Carolina, south of downtown Asheville. It is owned by the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2019–2023 categorized it as a small-hub primary commercial service facility. In 2022 it served an all-time record number of passengers for the airport, 1,838,793, an increase of 29% over 2021.
The airport opened initially with a 6500-foot runway in 1961, replacing the former airport at .
Facilities
Asheville Regional Airport covers and has one asphalt runway measuring .
In the year ending March 31, 2023, the airport had 80,199 aircraft operations, average 220 per day: 59% general aviation, 13% air taxi, 22% airline, and 6% military. At that time, 132 aircraft were based at the airport: 113 single-engine, 10 multi-engine, 7 jet, and 2 helicopter.
The airport sees the following jet airliners regularly: Airbus A320 (150 or 177 passengers) Boeing 737-800 (183 passengers) Airbus A319 (126 passengers) Boeing 717-200 (110 passengers) Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ200, CRJ700 and CRJ900 - 50, 65 or 76 passengers)
A Concorde supersonic transport (SST) visited AVL during a 1987 promotional tour and was snowed in overnight. Chartered Boeing 747s (operated by United Airlines) have visited, as has an Airbus A340 during the visit of Charles, Prince of Wales, to the nearby Biltmore Estate in 1996. AVL's runway can handle almost any aircraft.
In April 2010, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama landed in Asheville aboard a Boeing C-32 (the USAF version of the Boeing 757-200) for a weekend getaway. In October 2011 President Obama landed in Asheville in the larger Boeing VC-25 (the USAF version of the Boeing 747-200) to kick off his North Carolina and Virginia bus tour promoting his jobs bill. He gave a speech at the airport, and cited potential enhancements at the airport as part of the jobs push. President Obama returned to Asheville on February 13, 2013, on the same aircraft for a brief visit and speech at a nearby manufacturing facility.
The terminal building opened on June 7, 1961 (the airport opened in January 1961). A $20 million expansion and renovation project began in 1987. The expansion project was completed in 1992, which resulted in an expansion of the ticket lobby, baggage claim area, and administrative office space. A second-level boarding area and jetways were constructed, as well as an atrium to the existing lobby. The second-level boarding area was removed and the ground-level boarding areas were expanded and renovated in 2003, designed by McCreary/Snow Architects, PA and built by Wilkie Construction Company, Inc. In 2009, $17.8 million of improvements were completed, including a Guest Services center, an additional baggage carousel, rental car desks, offices and security enhancements. In November 2017, a new 1,300-space parking deck opened in front of the airport terminal.
As part of Project SOAR (Significant Opportunity for Aviation in our Region), a major airport improvement project, the existing runway (which was over 50 years old) was nearing the end of its useful life and required major reconstruction to continue its use into the future. Also, the existing runway did not meet the most current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements that were put in place long after the runway was originally constructed. In December 2015, a temporary runway was opened west of the existing runway (16/34). The temporary runway 35 Instrument Landing System (ILS) is operational, and Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPI) are available on both ends of the runway. The runway magnetic compass heading has shifted slightly over the years, and runway 16/34 has been renamed to runway 17/35. The new runway entered service on November 5, 2020.
Asheville Regional Airport is a focus city for Allegiant Air which bases Airbus A320 family aircraft and crew at the airport.
Airline service: 1948-1996
In 1948, Capital Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989) served the former Asheville airport, all with Douglas DC-3s. Capital flew nonstop to Charlotte and Knoxville; Delta flew nonstop to Greenville, SC, and Knoxville; Piedmont flew nonstop to Tri-Cities, TN and Charlotte.
