Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) opened on October 15, 1962, replacing two separate municipal airfields that had divided Greenville and Spartanburg. The effort was driven by Upstate business leaders Roger Milliken and Charlie Daniel, who identified a flat stretch of land in the community of Flatwood, roughly equidistant between the two cities, as the ideal site. Construction began in 1961 after the county legislative delegations approved both the project and a new airport commission. When Eastern Airlines flight 580 touched down at 7:33 a.m. on opening day, GSP became the first modern airport built from scratch and offered many technological advancements, including being the first airport to install in-pavement runway lighting, a technology that has since become standard worldwide.

Located physically in Greer, South Carolina, the airport sits near I-85 and serves a metro region that has grown substantially since the 1960s, fueled by international manufacturing investment from companies like BMW and Michelin. That industrial base gives GSP an unusually strong cargo dimension: the airport is the only facility in the Carolinas offering regularly scheduled international all-cargo service, with routes to Germany, China, Korea, and Mexico. A $33 million air cargo facility completed in 2019 and expanded in 2022 underpins that role.

On the passenger side, GSP operates a single terminal with 2 concourses and 13 gates. Between 2012 and 2017, the airport completed the $127 million Wingspan renovation, expanding the terminal from roughly 225,000 to 375,000 square feet while remaining fully operational throughout. Airlines including American, Delta, United, Southwest, Allegiant, Avelo, and Breeze currently serve the airport, with nonstop service to more than 20 domestic destinations. GSP has been recognized multiple times by Airports Council International as the best airport in North America in its passenger size category.