G.S. supports Airport Authority’s plan to expand air service out of Jack Edwards

G.S. supports Airport Authority’s plan to expand air service out of Jack Edwards
By John Mullen
On March 8, the Gulf Shores City Council OK’d an appropriation of $60,000 in two yearly payments to the Airport Authority as it begins making plans to expand air service out of Jack Edwards National Airport.
The airport money added to by other cities and the county in the solicitation of a small community grant under the Small Community Air Service Development Program.
“This is a proposal for the city to join with Foley, Orange Beach, tourism, Baldwin Economic Development Alliance and the Gateway Initiative on the creation of an air service development fund,” Airport Manager Scott Fuller said. “We’re looking for an appropriation of $30,000 a year for two years for the two-year program. Currently we’re at about $230,000 in contributions.”
More money will come from authority coffers as well as the regional entities hope to get more federal dollars to help with the project. According to city documents, the U. S. DOT has set aside a fund of $18 million for communities to address air service and air fares in their communities. The Airport Authority hoping to use this money to continue to develop the airport.
“The authority also is going to contribute $100,000 in marketing efforts, marketing support and another $20,000 in airport in-kind contribution,” Fuller said. “This will go directly toward the development of new air service to new destinations. We are trying to leverage this with the United States DOT which would raise the fund up to $1.3 million if we’re successful.
“Right now, we have the city of Foley has made a two-year commitment, the city of Orange Beach, Baldwin Economic Development Alliance, tourism and the city of Gulf Shores would be the fifth. The Gateway Initiative will manage the fund.”
The actual application will be used for funding for a Minimum Guarantee Program for specific destinations and airlines to be named; catchment analytics study; costs associated with airline meetings and preparation; and marketing costs for promotion of airport goods and services supporting awareness of proposed terminal project.
Construction will begin soon on a small terminal building at the airport with hopes of growing traffic to a volume that would spark the construction of full terminal in the future.
“The authority is constructing a phase one air terminal which the airlines are waiting for,” Fuller said. “As soon as we get that up and operating, we’ll be ready to go. Basically, to get started up it’s a six-month process.”
With a terminal up and running, councilman and Authority Board member Joe Garris said interest should grow in flying in and out of Gulf Shores and anticipates traffic growing as well. In January of 2020, Jack Edwards Airport received funding and FAA approval for the only air traffic control tower in Baldwin County. A groundbreaking was held in September and it could be completed by the end of spring.
“When this tower starts coming out of the ground, which it has, it’s going to create a lot of people wanting some kind of service,” Garris said. “We’re getting service requests now to get some airlines in here. I think it’s getting a lot of interest. This is going to be good for us all.”
While the new terminal will be temporary, it will still be vital to operations once traffic warrants the building of a full terminal.
“Our intent is to construct that and operate out of it until we reach 10,000 plus passengers per year, and then move forward with the large terminal utilizing federal grants and airline money,” Fuller said. “Upon completion, the first facility will be converted to international arrivals, baggage claim, ground transportation or some other compatible use.”