Let’s just get this out of the way right from the top: Augusta Regional Airport ain’t JFK. It’s got two runways, a small terminal, and for much of the year, serves two airlines with flights to four cities.

One week every April, however, Augusta airport becomes a bonafide Heathrow, more than doubling its destinations while seeing the passenger totals jump from a mere 5,000 people on a normal week to more than 30,000. But by far the biggest frequenter of Augusta airport’s tarmac during Masters week are private jets from all over the world, totalling more than 1,500 arrivals from Monday to Sunday. Don’t believe us? Just check this out.

https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1512430310809513989?s=20&t=Ji5pZgLNtSQNzG0QIcRxkA

Obviously this year is a slightly crazier year than most. Full capacity galleries are back for the first time since spring 2019. Tiger Woods has made his triumphant return from injury. Still though, this is about par for the pre-COVID course, highlighting just how how downright magnetic the Masters is for the world’s 1 percent.

How does a tiny little blip in American air travel like Augusta airport accommodate such an influx of traffic (not to mention the highly specific needs of high-roller divas) each April? Well, each Masters week they reportedly hire 100 new employees and truck in more than 500,000 gallons worth of fuel to keep everything running smoothly. Where they’re actually landing planes while using the runaways as valet parking for private jets remains unclear, but it wouldn’t be the Masters without a mystery or two now would it?