Shaw AFB Airport (KSSC), South Carolina
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Shaw AFB (KSSC) is a private-use, towered military airfield near Sumter, South Carolina, home to the 20th Fighter Wing. Annual traffic sits at 4,004 operations, with 106 attributed to business aviation in 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data. The field carries two long concrete runways and operates under military access restrictions rather than civil FBO norms, with prior permission and advance notice required for transient arrivals.
Runways
Shaw AFB Airport has two paved runways. The longest, 04L/22R, is 10,014 ft long and 150 ft wide, with a concrete surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Shaw AFB Airport has A++ 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
Shaw AFB Airport does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Columbia Metro (KCAE), 32 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Shaw AFB Airport recorded 106 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in September. Business aviation traffic at KSSC concentrates most heavily in September, with July and August also seeing higher activity than the rest of the year.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month September, 26 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Weather station is 4.4 NM from the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Shaw AFB Airport has published operating constraints in five categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, noise procedures and other notes.
Fluid service: pressurized air, LPOX, and LOX available. LOX requires 24-hour prior notice.
Restriction: issued prior permission is valid within one hour of estimated time of arrival; early or late arrivals and departures must re-coordinate. Transient aircraft must contact the tower prior to exiting the runway.
Caution: transient pilots will not climb above 1,000 feet on departure during VFR conditions until clear of the airport boundary, unless specifically cleared to do so by ATC. Specific taxi instructions apply for heavy aircraft; contact ground control, as back-taxiing on the runway to the appropriate ladder taxiway may be required. Uncontrolled vehicle traffic operates on taxiways and the apron.
Customs, agriculture, and immigration: 24-hour prior notice required for customs and agriculture.
Bearing strength for runway 04L-22R: ST175; SBTT576, DDT745.
Grooved concrete surface. The first 1,000 feet of runway 04R and the first 1,000 feet of runway 22L are concrete, with the middle 6,014 feet grooved concrete.
Bearing strength for runway 04R-22L: ST130; SBTT351; DDT490.
Lighting: all runway threshold lights are gated.
A 45-foot obstruction is located 140 feet south of the taxiway centerline.
Miscellaneous: weather observations are available 24 hours a day via the AN/FMQ-19 automated observation system, augmented by human observation when required during operating hours and resource protection periods. Human-observed surface visibility is limited from 230 to 030 degrees by flightline hangars, buildings, and trees.
Service lighting: runway 04R/22L pre-threshold bars have been removed.
Restriction: runway 04R-22L is available for 20th Fighter Wing use only.
Restriction: runway 04L/22R closes every first and third Monday, and runway 04R/22L closes every second and fourth Monday of the month, from 1100-1500Z, for BAK-12 preventive maintenance inspection.
Arresting hook cable: BAK-12A(B) with 45 ft overrun, and BAK-12B(B) at 1,457 ft.
Arresting hook cable: MB 100(B) with 75 ft overrun.
Arresting hook cable: BAK-12B(B) at 1,221 ft.
Arresting hook cable: MB 100(B) with 65 ft overrun.
Arresting hook cable: BAK-12B(B) at 1,457 ft, and BAK-12A(B) with 45 ft overrun.
Arresting gear: normal BAK-12 configuration. Both runway 04L/22R overrun arresting gear BAK-12s are in the raised position. The runway 04L/22R approach end cable is disconnected. On runway 04R/22L, all cables are in the raised position. BAK-12As are non-standard with a 900 ft run-out, quarter-inch cable, and 50,000 lb weight setting. Call the tower or Base Operations at least 20 minutes in advance to request other configurations.
Restriction: official business is restricted to 20th Fighter Wing mission support. The 20th Fighter Wing observes quiet hours from 0300-1100Z. Prior permission is required for all landing aircraft, with a 24-hour advance notice requirement; contact Airfield Management from 1200-2300Z, or after-hours standby. Transient aircraft should contact Base Operations point of contact prior to arrival to confirm fuel and maintenance service requirements.
Transient alert: no fleet service available. Expect 2-3 hour service and refueling delays on weekends, holidays, and peak periods, with limited maintenance. Concurrent refueling is not available, and de-ice service is not available. Transient aircraft will retain drag chutes while parked. Transient alert service is available from 1130-2330Z, Monday through Friday, and is closed on holidays.
Traffic pattern: rectangular at 1,300 feet, overhead at 2,000 feet.
Miscellaneous: arrival/departure control reservations apply to ACC aircraft only.
Transient alert: after-hours transient alert support is not authorized unless supporting higher headquarters directed missions.
Transient aircraft should contact the Base Operations point of contact prior to arrival to confirm service requirements.
Restriction: the south trim pad and test cell southwest of taxiway A are closed.
Restriction: the aerodrome is unusable as a weather alternate outside of transient alert hours of operation.
Restriction: heavy aircraft should expect arrival and departure delays during wing flying activity.
Miscellaneous: weather information is available, with a forecaster available 24 hours a day. Teleworking occurs during airfield closures. Remote briefing service is available from the 26th Operational Weather Squadron at Barksdale AFB, with a website at https://26ows.us.af.mil.
For air evacuation or urgent requests during airfield closure, aircrews must contact Command Post or use UHF.
Miscellaneous: aircraft requiring immediate assistance after duty hours, on holidays, and on weekends should contact Command Post.
Miscellaneous: Airfield Management Operations is unable to store classified material; contact Shaw Command Post for classified storage needs.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Shaw AFB Airport has five airfields within 27 NM. The closest is Sumter (KSMS), 5.60 NM east.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSSC
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.
$1,200.00 catering order at KSSC.
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
Is KSSC (Shaw AFB) open to civilian business aviation?
Shaw AFB (KSSC) is a private-use military airfield, not a public civil airport. Official business is restricted to 20th Fighter Wing mission support, and transient aircraft require prior permission with a 24-hour advance notice requirement. Operators should contact Base Operations or Airfield Management before planning any arrival. This is not a facility a dispatcher can route to without prior coordination.
What runways are available at Shaw AFB?
Shaw AFB (KSSC) has two paved concrete runways: 04L/22R at 10,014 feet and 04R/22L at 8,014 feet, both 150 feet wide. Runway 04R/22L is restricted to 20th Fighter Wing use only. Each runway also closes on a rotating schedule, alternating Mondays, for BAK-12 arresting gear maintenance. These closures affect scheduling for any approved transient movement.
Where is the nearest customs clearance to KSSC?
Shaw AFB (KSSC) does not have customs service onsite. The nearest customs airport is Columbia Metropolitan (KCAE), located about 32 nautical miles away. Aircraft requiring customs and agriculture clearance at Shaw itself must still provide 24-hour advance notice per field remarks. Trip planning should route through KCAE for any international clearance needs near this area.
What kind of fuel and ground support is available at Shaw AFB?
Shaw AFB (KSSC) offers Jet A fuel with no dedicated fleet service available for transient aircraft. Service and refueling delays of two to three hours are expected on weekends, holidays, and peak periods, and de-ice service is not available. Concurrent refueling is not offered, and transient aircraft retain drag chutes while parked. Transient alert support after hours is not authorized unless tied to a higher headquarters directed mission.