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The Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport will have to wait to lay claims to year-round international flights due to Air Canada's decision to cancel their previously scheduled flights to Toronto. The flights were scheduled to begin on June 26, 2001. The GSP International Airport offers summertime flight packages to the Caribbean, but, does not have any year-round international flights at this time. Air Canada stated the reason for the cancellation of the flights was based on the slowing of the economy, and the subsequent softening of demand for air travel. GSP International Airport serves primairly business travelers, and with the continued decline in the economic conditions, both in the U. S. and Canada, Air Canada decided this was not the appropriate time to be adding flights to Greenville, S. C. Laryy Holcombe, GSP deputy director said, "We are very disappointed, and we hope that Air Canada will reconsider their decision. We believe there is enough air traffic from the GSP International Airport to support the flights."
The GSP International Airport is considered a passenger-friendly airport according to Rosylin Weston, Director of Public Relations for the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport. Weston says, "I-85 allows easy access to the airport. The airport parking is located in close proximity to the terminal, and is moderately priced. The passenger ticketing area is conveniently located to the boarding areas, so passengers have only a short distance to travel from the ticketing areas to the boarding areas. In fact, the entire distance from the parking areas to the boarding areas is very short relative to most major airports." GSP International Airport has also recently completed the expansion of it runways. The runway expansion work began in 1994, when the existing runway was extended 1,400 feet to the north. A 36,000 square-yard aircraft parking apron was also added. In 1996, a 2,001-foot expansion was begun on the south end of the runway that required over 7 million cubic yards of fill material in order to bring the terrain up to the existing runway elevation.
The GSP International Airport expanded the length of their runways to accommodate the increased air traffic, and to handle cargo jets. GSP air traffic increased five-percent in 2000, and is up four-percent thus far in 2001. The BMW plant uses Boeing 747 cargo planes to deliver automotive parts. A fully loaded Boeing 747 cargo jet requires a longer runway than a passenger Boeing 747 jet. The GSP International Airport can now safely accommodate landing a fully loaded Boeing 747 cargo jet.
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Air Canada inaugurated on Tuesday, June 26th. daily non-stop
services Toronto-Norfolk (Virginia) and Toronto-Charleston (South Carolina).
Greenville had been included in this expansion of flights from Toronto, however, at the last minute, Air Canada decided to delay the expansion of flights to Greenville, S. C. Dick Griffth, spokesman for Air Canada, said, "We are going to provide nonstop service to Charleston and Norfolk because these are more tourist based markets, and have met advanced booking goals. Business travel is down sharply, but tourist travel is holding its own, and in some cases, has increased." 
On May 27, 1999 the final runway expansion phase was completed, and GSP opened the newly extended 11,001-foot runway. The runway expansion makes the GSP runway the 19th longest runway east of the Mississippi River, and the 39th longest non-military runway in the world.