Piedmont Triad Intl

A Legacy of Private Aviation

PTI originated as Maynard Field in 1919, named in honor of young North Carolinian pilot Belvin Maynard. By 1922 it had competition from Miller Field in Winston-Salme and Charles Field and a single airstrip mainly used for Barnstorming and take-off drills and landings for the Charles family. In 1927 the Tri-City Airport Commission decided to build an airport near the community of Friendship. As the airport was near Greensboro, Winston-Salem refused to contribute to its construction, thereby nullifying the collaborative effort of the Tri-City Airport Authority. As such, Greensboro and Guilford County purchased the land from Paul C and Helen G. Lindley, naming it Lindley Field in May 1927. While the field had no runways, lights, hangar, or passenger station, Charles Lindbergh did stop by on his Spirit of St. Louis cross-country tour. The following year, regular mail service began. Although the airport had to close briefly during the Great Depression, it reopened on May 17th, 1937, with two all-weather runways. Eventually, Greensboro built a passenger station, Pitcairn Aviation (who had the mail contract) built a hangar, the U.S. government established a weather bureau, and the Department of Commerce put up a radio tower. On November 6th, 1930, scheduled passenger service began through Dixie Flying Service. The route, which flew to Washington, D.C., was later taken over by Pitcairn Aviation (which later became Eastern Air Lines). Whereas the Greensboro-High Point Airport Authority was given responsibility over the airport in July 1942, it was short-lived. The Army Air Corps took it over for use during the war, causing passenger and mail service to discontinue. Nonetheless, the corps lengthened the runways and built a new terminal. Following the war, service resumed, although growth was tepid at first as the nearby Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem was successful in attracting traffic. In 1958, a new terminal opened with a modern glass-paneled structure and a single pier. At that time, it was served by Eastern, Piedmont, and Capital (which merged with United in 1961). In the 70s, the airport was renamed Greensboro-High Point Airport and then again Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem Regional Airport. As the airport rose in prominence, work on a new facility began in 1978. The new terminal was completed in 1982, and a 300-room Marriott hotel opened at the site (for $16 million). In 1987, the airport was renamed Piedmont Triad International Airport. In 1990, the world headquarters for TIMCO Aviation Services (now Haeco Americas) opened at PTI. It has since grown into one of the world’s largest independent aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers. In 1993 there was a short-lived hub by Continental Lite, but it was losing the parent company (Continental Airlines) too much money, causing them to cease operations in 1995. Furthermore, in 1998 FedEx announced the construction of a hub at PTI, in addition to the construction of a 9,000-foot runway. In 2005, Comair (operating on behalf of Delta Connection) built a maintenance hangar at PTI. The following year, an expansion to the North Concourse opened, adding 40,000 square feet to the terminal and bringing the gates to 25. Furthermore, a 43,000-square-foot expansion to the main terminal was also opened to accommodate security gates. In 2003 the FedEx hub opened, while in 2006, Honda Aircraft company decided to open its global headquarters at PTI. In May 2007, Allegiant Air began to service the airport. The 9,000-foot parallel runway was completed in 2010, and a renovation project that included new furnishings, automated baggage handling, free wifi, charging stations for passenger devices, lodging, and restaurants was undertaken the following year. In 2017 American Eagle announced the beginning of service, followed by Spirit Airlines the next year.