Columbia Metro Airport (KCAE), South Carolina
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Columbia Metropolitan Airport (KCAE) serves the Columbia, South Carolina area as a towered, public-use field roughly 78 nautical miles from its metro reference point. The airport supports business aviation with two long paved runways, on-site CBP inspection services backed by a USDA compliance agreement, and full-time attendance coverage. Business aviation traffic accounts for a substantial share of the airport's total annual operations, as tracked by the FAA.
Runways
Columbia Metro Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 11/29, is 8,601 ft long and 150 ft wide, with a concrete surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first. Helipads and surfaces under 500 ft are excluded.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Columbia Metro Airport has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Columbia Metro Airport has US Customs and Border Protection clearance available onsite, with general clearance for international arrivals. A USDA compliance agreement is in place.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Columbia Metro Airport recorded 12,626 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in April and October. Business aviation traffic at KCAE runs higher in April and October, with the remaining months holding to a more moderate and fairly even level.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month April, 1,319 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Columbia Metro Airport averages 24.3 days above 90°F in July, 13.9 freeze days in January and 0.2 snow days in January. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 92.7°F, and January the coldest, at 56.8°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Columbia Metro Airport has published operating constraints in six categories: access, weight restrictions, runway notes, noise procedures, pavement strength and other notes.
Operation of ultralight vehicles is prohibited.
A sports complex with numerous flood lights is located approximately 6,500 feet from the approach end of Runway 11.
Aircraft landing with explosives must obtain prior permission from airport operations.
For prior permission requests or other airfield-related questions, contact airport operations.
A fee applies for commercial aircraft over 15,000 pounds.
Runway 05 has a blast pad measuring 200 feet by 200 feet.
Runway 11 has a blast pad measuring 220 feet by 400 feet; Runway 29 has a blast pad measuring 220 feet by 400 feet.
The center 75 feet of Runway 05/23 is concrete for the entire length of the runway.
Due to proximity and runway alignment, aircrews have mistaken Jim Hamilton L B Owens Airport (Runway 13/31) for Columbia Metropolitan Airport (Runway 11/29), which is located six miles northeast.
Noise abatement procedure: no turns below 1,000 feet for turbine-engine aircraft unless directed by ATC.
PCR VALUE: 750/R/A/W/T
PCR VALUE: 740/R/A/W/T
Helipad H1 is located north of taxilane E, east of taxiway E3.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Columbia Metro Airport has five airfields within 23 NM. The closest is Jim Hamilton L B Owens (KCUB), 6.47 NM east.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KCAE
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KCAE.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runways are available at KCAE / Columbia Metro?
Columbia Metropolitan Airport (KCAE) operates two paved runways suited to business aviation traffic. Runway 11/29 is the longer of the two at 8,601 feet, with a width of 150 feet and a concrete surface. Runway 05/23 measures 8,001 feet by 150 feet, surfaced in asphalt-concrete with a 75-foot-wide concrete center section running the full runway length. Both runways carry high PCR values, supporting a wide range of turbine and jet aircraft. A small 50-by-50-foot paved helipad, H1, is also located on the field north of taxilane E.
Is customs available on-site at KCAE?
Yes, CBP inspection services are available on site at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, along with a USDA compliance agreement covering agricultural inspection requirements. This combination allows arriving international flights to clear both customs and agricultural inspection at KCAE itself rather than diverting to another facility. Dispatchers planning international arrivals should still coordinate arrival details with airport operations ahead of landing, particularly for flights carrying goods subject to USDA compliance review. The airport is towered and operates with a full-time attendance schedule.
Are there any fees or restrictions for larger aircraft at Columbia Metropolitan Airport?
Columbia Metropolitan Airport charges a fee for commercial aircraft over 15,000 pounds, a threshold relevant to dispatchers planning heavier business jet or charter operations. Aircraft landing with explosives require prior permission from airport operations before arrival. Operation of ultralight vehicles is prohibited on the field. These restrictions apply on top of the airport's standard runway and taxiway environment, which otherwise supports aircraft up to the size class served by its two long paved runways.
What noise abatement procedures apply at KCAE?
KCAE enforces a noise abatement procedure requiring turbine-engine aircraft to avoid turns below 1,000 feet unless otherwise directed by air traffic control. This applies across normal departure and arrival operations at Columbia Metropolitan Airport and is relevant to flight crews planning initial climb or approach paths. Because the airport is towered, ATC can issue instructions that supersede this restriction when operationally necessary. Crews should brief this procedure alongside standard departure planning, particularly for jets and turboprops departing during the airport's contact hours.
Is there a risk of confusing KCAE with a nearby airport?
Yes, Columbia Metropolitan Airport's own field remarks note that aircrews have mistaken Jim Hamilton L B Owens Airport, which uses runway designation 13/31, for KCAE due to the proximity of the two fields and the alignment of their runways. Jim Hamilton is located roughly six nautical miles northeast of Columbia Metropolitan. Crews flying into the Columbia area should positively confirm runway designation and field identification during approach, especially in visual conditions. This is a documented, field-specific hazard rather than a general regional caution.