(LISTEN): Nation’s fastest-growing airport is COU, Columbia’s city council is told

By Zimmer Communications
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Columbia Regional Airport (COU) is the nation’s fastest-growing airport by one consultant’s measure. COU manager Michael Parks tells Columbia’s city council that passenger traffic continues to climb:

“Mead and Hunt analyzed all U.S. airports with 10,000 or more seats a month for the next six months. And Columbia Regional Airport (COU) is the fastest-growing airport in the United States,” Mr. Parks says.

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Columbia Airport advisory board chair Randa Rawlins speaks at the COU press conference about Charlotte (December 18, 2025 file photo courtesy of city of Columbia spokeswoman Sydney Olsen)

Columbia Regional Airport welcomed more than 242,000 passengers in 2025, a record and a 17 percent increase over 2024 numbers. Mr. Parks says the community’s support has fueled this growth.

COU will begin offering nonstop flights this summer to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Orlando and Charlotte.