John Glenn Columbus International Airport

The Old Port Columbus Terminal, the airport's first control tower and terminal

The airport opened July 8, 1929, on a site selected by Charles Lindbergh, as the eastern air terminus of the Transcontinental Air Transport air-rail New York to Los Angeles transcontinental route. Passengers traveled overnight on the Pennsylvania Railroad's Airway Limited from New York to Columbus; by air from Columbus to Waynoka, Oklahoma; by rail again on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe from Waynoka to Clovis, New Mexico; and by air from Clovis to Los Angeles.[9] The original terminal building and hangars remain; the hangars are still in use, but the old terminal sits derelict.[10]

During World War II, most of the facility was taken over by the U.S. Navy, which established Naval Air Station Columbus in 1942. NAS Columbus was closed and the facility relinquished back to civilian authorities in 1946.[11][12] Also, during the war, the government established a government-owned aviation factory on the grounds of the airport known as Air Force Factory 85, eventually operated by North American Aviation. The plant produced the F-100 Super Saber, RA-5 Vigilante, T-2 Buckeye, T-28 Trojan, OV-10 Bronco and T-39 Sabreliner.

The diagram on the February 1951 Coast & Geodetic Survey instrument-approach chart shows runways 006/186 3550 ft long, 052/232 4400 ft, 096/276 4500 ft, and 127/307 5030 ft.

A new $12 million terminal building opened on September 21, 1958.[10] Jet airline flights (American 707s) started in April 1964.

Current control tower, completed in 2004

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 72 airline departures each weekday: 41 TWA, 16 American, 6 Eastern, 6 Lake Central and 3 Piedmont.[13]

The first major airline to fly into Columbus was TWA, and it kept a presence at Columbus over 70 years during the era of airline regulation.[10] TWA offered a club for exclusive passengers up until 2000 when America West took over a gate held by TWA and the club itself due to financial problems.[14]

Columbus was formerly a hub of America West Airlines in the 1990s, but the company closed the hub in 2003 due to financial losses and the post 9/11-decline in air travel.[14]

The airport was the home base of short-lived Skybus Airlines, which began operations from Columbus on May 22, 2007. The airline touted themselves as the cheapest airline in the United States, offering a minimum of ten seats for $10 each on every flight. Skybus ceased operations April 4, 2008.[15]

A $70 million renovation of airport facilities, designed by Brubaker, Brandt Inc., was initiated in 1979 for the airport's 50th anniversary and completed in 1981.[16] This upgraded the airport's capacity to 250 flights per day by adding what is known today as Concourse B and added fully enclosed jetways at every gate.[10] Ten years later in 1989, a second, $15.5 million, seven-gate south concourse (now Concourse A) was dedicated.[10] The concourse was used exclusively by US Airways at the time, and later housed hubs for both America West Airlines until 2003, and Skybus Airlines until they shut it down in 2008 due to their bankruptcy. A north concourse was completed in 1996, which is now Concourse C, and was expanded in 2002.[10]

Between 1998 and 2000, numerous airport expansion and renovation projects were completed, including a $25 million terminal renovation in 1998 that included additional retail shops, new flight information displays, enhanced lighting, upgraded flooring, and a new food court. Also, new hangars and office spaces were completed for NetJets in 1999, as well as a $92 million parking garage including an underground terminal entrance, new rental car facilities, dedicated ground transportation area, improved eight-lane terminal access on two levels, and a new atrium and entrances in 2000, which were designed by URS Corporation.[10][17]

On April 25, 2004, a new 195-foot (59 m) control tower directed its first aircraft. This began several major facility enhancements to be constructed through 2025.[10] On October 21, 2010, a new arrivals/departures board replaced the old one in the main entrance area

Columbus began its Terminal Modernization Program in late 2012, which included new terrazzo flooring throughout the airport, new ceilings, new restrooms, more TSA security lanes, and new LED lighting. Construction started on Concourse A in late 2012 and was completed throughout the terminal in early 2016.[18]

In 2013, the airport completed a $140 million runway improvement that moved the south runway farther from the north runway. This created a buffer distance that enables simultaneous takeoffs and landings on the north and south runways, increasing air traffic volume. Columbus mayor Michael B. Coleman commented, "As the city grows, the airport needs to grow with it."[19]

Many airlines introduced new routes in the late 2010s, with the addition of Alaska Airlines with one daily flight to Seattle. Occasionally, larger aircraft that the airport is not used to receiving on a regular basis, such as the Boeing 767 and 777, are chartered through John Glenn and serviced by Lane Aviation.

As of the end of 2020, many current routes or routes planning to be expanded have been cancelled or downsized due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the initial lockdowns in March, Air Canada has suspended all operations to Columbus until further notice, as have other airlines with their respective international routes.

In 2001, Executive Jet Aviation (now known as NetJets), opened up a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m²) operational headquarters[20]

In November 2006, Skybus Airlines began leasing 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) of office and hangar facilities at the Columbus International AirCenter adjacent to the airport.[21]

Regional carriers Envoy Air and Republic Airways operate large maintenance bases at the airport.

The airport has its own police and fire departments (ARFF-C).

The original 1929 layout for the airport covered 524 acres (212 ha), with two runways 2,500 and 3,500 feet (760 and 1,070 m) long.[22] In 1952 the current south runway was lengthened to 8,000 feet (2,400 m), making it the longest runway in the midwest at the time.[10] The north runway was extended to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in 1997[10] and the south runway has since been extended to 10,113 feet (3,082 m). John Glenn Columbus International Airport covers 2,265 acres (917 ha) and has two runways:[23]

• Runway 10R/28L: 10,114 ft × 150 ft (3,083 m × 46 m), air carrier runway, ILS equipped.
• Runway 10L/28R: 8,000 ft × 150 ft (2,438 m × 46 m), air carrier runway, ILS equipped.

Runway 10L/28R is just north of the 40th parallel north.

An expansion in 2008–2009 moved the primary access road to the main terminal, over which a new aircraft bridge was built. The Port Columbus Airport Crossover Taxiway Bridge was intended to ease congestion of aircraft traffic and allow aircraft to move from the main terminal to outer runways.[24]

John Glenn Columbus International Airport has one terminal and 3 concourses.

Concourse A was built in 1989 for US Airways and is currently home to Southwest, which uses all the gates with the exception of A1 (no jet bridge) and A7 (ground-level boarding gate).

Concourse B is the original section of the current CMH terminal built in 1958 and is home to Air Canada (B30), American (B19-26, 28), Spirit (B35-36), and United (B29-32, 34). Gates B15 through B18 and B33 are no longer accessible due to concession and restroom construction; gate B33 has had its jet bridge removed. There is no B27.

Concourse C opened in 1995 for Delta and Southwest and extended in 2002, is home to Alaska (C49), Delta (C48-56) and Frontier (C47). Vacation Express charters also depart from Concourse C, typically using Gate C46, which is also used for international arrivals and connects directly to customs and immigration. Currently, the only international arrivals are the seasonal flights from Cancún as well as the daily flights from Toronto–Pearson.

The airport is accessible directly by taking exit number nine on Interstate 670 to International Gateway. Alternatively, drivers can also get to the airport from the east via Hamilton Road, just south of Interstate 270, and enter at Sawyer Road or from the west via Stelzer Road.

In addition to housing the rental car facilities, a six-story parking garage (which is attached to the terminal) provides long-term and short-term parking. Lower cost satellite parking options, with continuous free shuttle service, can be found in the Blue, Red and Green parking lots along International Gateway. The Blue lot is the closest to the terminal and also offers some covered parking. The cost of parking a car in the blue lot is $9 per 24 hours. The Red Lot costs $7 per 24 hours and the green lost costs $5 per 24 hours to park. The Green lot is the furthest away from the terminal. Additionally, there is a free cell phone lot accessed from the outbound side of International Gateway.[25][26]

The Columbus Metropolitan Area's bus service, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), has two bus services between the airport and downtown Columbus. AirConnect, a service that began in 2016, stops at the arrival and departure levels every 30 minutes.[27] COTA's 7 Mt. Vernon route is operated from downtown, with every other bus serving either the airport or Easton Transit Center.[28][29]

The GoBus Rural Inter-City Bus Service operates a thrice daily schedule to Athens, via Lancaster, Logan, and Nelsonville.[30]

Inbound taxi services operate through numerous taxi businesses in the Columbus area. A number of taxi services provide outbound transportation in the taxi lane.[31]

• Envoy Air operates flights on behalf of American Airlines.
• Republic Airways operates flights on behalf of American, Delta and United.