Savannah Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)
History, Facts and Overview

(Savannah, Georgia - GA, USA)

When Savannah Airport first opened during the later thirties it was known as the Chatham Field airbase and was soon requisitioned by the US military. After World War II had ended, the airport was renamed as Travis Field and soon grew to replace the nearby Hunter Field airport, and the two airports were actually 'exchanged' between the air force and the government for a payment of just one dollar.

In 1960, a passenger terminal opened and featured six gateways. Just five years later jet-powered passenger planes, operated by Delta Airlines, began regular services. In 1983, the airport was renamed as Savannah International and in 1994 a new facility replaced the existing terminal and offered greater overall capacity. In 2003, the airport was renamed once more as the Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), its present name. Currently there are two runways, measuring approximately 2,850 metres / 9,350 feet and 2,100 metres / 6,890 feet.


Essential facilities offered by Savannah International Airport include a postal center, lost and found, Smarte Carte services and four ATM machines, three of which are on the second floor and one on the ground level. Shops, cafés, restaurants and bars are mainly contained on the upper Departures level and after-hours food vending machines are also onsite. Further restaurants can be found close to Airways Avenue and along Pooler Parkway, including Arby's, Chick-Fil-A, Sam Snead's and Zaxby's.

Additional services at Savannah Airport include a hair salon for men and women, Military Reception Center, self-service massage chairs and a video arcade. The section in the center of the main Departures Concourse on the upper level is known as Savannah Square, where the airport's Business Center, along with many other services and facilities are located.