The Masters Tournament is one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. It is one of the four men’s major golf championships. The tournament, held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, is typically held in the first full week of April each year. This year, the tournament begins Thursday, April 11 and lasts through Sunday, April 14. This year, the tournament has a purse of $18 million this year, and only 89 players are in this year’s field.

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The tournament has a wide variety of special traditions. This includes each year’s champion being awarded a green jacket and each champion picking the menu for the following year’s opening dinner, which is for previous champions only. Additionally, a par three contest is held each year before the start of the tournament. Each caddy is required to wear an all-white boiler suit. Food and drink sales have always been remarkably low compared to other golf or sporting events, as the famous egg salad or pimento cheese sandwich runs for just $1.50 each.

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These unique traditions combined make it one of the most prestigious golf tournaments on the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) tour. Fans of golf are required to sign up for a lottery to see if they are lucky enough to be awarded tickets to the tournament each year. These tickets are some of the hardest to acquire from the lottery itself. Because of this, the resale value of the tickets is much higher, making the event extremely expensive for non-lottery winners.

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This expensive event brings in many high-class individuals. Many of these patrons resort to flying privately or operating their own business jet and flying into the nearby airport, Augusta Regional Airport (AGS). Each year, the Augusta airport becomes overrun with private jets from all over the country. It has some of the most private aviation activity in the world during the event. Let’s take a closer look at some of the activities that have gone on at Augusta Regional Airport in recent years. Let’s also take a look at what we can expect from the activity at the airport for this year’s Masters tournament.

Commercial activity over the years

Augusta Regional Airport only has two runways and six total gates. It has several direct flights, however. Both Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have scheduled flights. Delta flies direct to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), while American Airlines flies direct to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Each year, Augusta Regional Airport adds several direct flights to help patrons come watch the Masters.

These new direct flights include the following operations:

• LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City, New York
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in Pennsylvania
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) in Massachusetts
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Illinois
• Miami International Airport (MIA) in Florida
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Texas
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) in Michigan
• Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in Florida
• Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida

Recent private jet activity over the years

Per Business Insider, the airport also hires more than 100 new employees for the few weeks around the Masters tournament. The airport expects to see more than 35,000 people each year pass through its gates, both on commercial and private flights. Typically, the airport sees 20,000-30,0000 travelers each month, so the airport sees an entire month’s worth of passengers in just over one week.

To help with the influx of private jets, the airport also trucks in over half a million gallons of aviation fuel, per Golf Digest. So many private jets fly into August Regional Airport, that jets line the runways as they arrive, taxi, and park. This year, which is similar to other years, Augusta Regional Airport will be shutting down one of its runways. This allows for more jets to fit in the airport for parking.

Projections for private jet activity in 2024

The large fractional ownership company, NetJets, offers unique flight options for its owners flying into Augusta. Each of the company’s aircraft has the ability to land at Augusta Regional, although the company offers several other options at the nearby Daniel Field Airport (DNL), Aiken Municipal Airport (AIK), or Thomson McDuffie-Regional Airport (KHQU). NetJets also offers unique experiences tailored to golf enthusiasts.

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Another large charter company, Flexjet, offers unique experiences for golf fans flying into Augusta. In 2024, the company is projecting to see over 150 flights in and out of Augusta Regional Airport. Flexjet also offers the unique experience of an exclusive private terminal at the airport, which ensures speed and efficiency when arriving and leaving the airport. Flexjet will also display static displays of two of its unique aircraft options, the Embraer Praetor 600 and the Sikorsky S-76.

FlightAware has created a dedicated dashboard for tracking flights in and out of Augusta as travelers have begun arriving at the airport in preparation for the tournament. As of April 10, the day before the tournament is set to begin, local airports have recorded over 1,750 total flights. These flights have come from over 450 different airports. The top airports flying to Augusta include:

• Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
• Dekalb-Peachtree (PDK)
• Teterboro Airport (TEB)
• Dallas Love Field (DAL)
• Naples Municipal Airport (APF)

Last year, 1,758 total business jets landed in Augusta Regional. This year, the airport expects to see a similar number if not more, total flights.