Updated: Myrtle Beach International Airport flights canceled throughout Friday

UPDATED 6:22 A.M. (Friday, Sept. 30) - Myrtle Beach International Airport was expected to stay open throughout Hurricane Ian’s path through South Carolina, although passengers are being asked to monitor flight statuses prior to arriving.

Friday morning showed all flights in and out as canceled.

“Commercial flights are expected to continue operating in and out as long as flight conditions remain safe. The airport team works closely with our airline partners, airport tenants and the Federal Aviation Administration,” Ryan Bechter, the airport’s general aviation director, said Sept. 29.

More than 3,200 flights across Florida were canceled as Hurricane Ian battered the state, and major airports in cities including Orlando and Tampa remained closed as of Sept. 29.

“If you have vacation plans definitely check with your carriers, check with your hotels,” FAA national operations manager John Lucia said in a Twitter message. “Now might not be the best time to go down there.”

Passengers can check their flight status on the airport’s website.

Bechter said the region’s airport could play a role in post-storm cleanup and logistics, as was the case after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

“The airport works closely with Horry County Emergency Management and is committed to facilitating any recovery efforts as we have done in previous years. For example, the county airports were active in facilitating both ground and aviation based recovery efforts following Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence,” he said.

Major carriers into and out of Myrtle Beach including American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United all issued advisories about possible travel impacts through Oct. 3, though none list Myrtle Beach among the affected cities.