Gulf Shores unveiled its new $6.1 million, 95-foot-tall air traffic control tower on Wednesday, which officials hope will make air space safer and the operations smoother at one of the busiest airports in Alabama.
But it’s the future for the airport that had officials excited the most during a ribbon cutting ceremony outside the new tower set to officially open on November 17.
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Plans are moving ahead for the airport to build an $8 million to $10 million temporary, two-gate terminal and to offer commercial flights through low-cost airline services into Alabama’s Pleasure Island.
“It’s part of our opportunity to show the world what Alabama is,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said. “When we bring people here, they have to leave (the area) with a different opinion about the state of Alabama. We bring folks from out of the area, and they cannot believe this is Alabama.”
Rebranding
The airport has already been rebranded through an effort that was first rolled out during Wednesday’s event that introduced the new air traffic control tower that was paid for 100% by the federal government thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act approved in 2020.
The Airport Authority and city officials introduced a new logo and renamed Jack Edwards National Airport as the Gulf Shores International Airport, Jack Edwards Field.
A new brand campaign was also included with the slogan, “Fly to Alabama’s Beaches.”
“We are an international airport and have been for some time, just never used it in the name,” said Scott Fuller, the airport’s manager since 2013. “We have general aviation flights from the Bahamas and Canada on a regular basis and Customs meets them here.”
David Di Maggio, president/CEO with Aqua Marketing & Communications in St. Petersburg, Florida, led the rebranding efforts. He said his company screened over 4,000 people who “represent potential passengers who will be coming to our area.”
“At the end of the day, the brand is really the community’s brand, and it also reflects the expectations of the thousands or more of those coming to you for commercial flights,” Di Maggio said. “This airport can be an international airport and if we are going to be in competition with our peers that are international airports, we need to be an international airport.”
New terminal
Right now, there are no commercial flights operating on a routine basis from the airport. But Fuller and others believe that could change before the end of 2022.
He said the authority is angling for the temporary terminal to open sometime next year, though not exact date has been provided. It will be a privately funded facility, and a decision on who will take charge of the project could be made within the next month. By January, an agreement could be in place between the authority and the private firm to move ahead with constructing the temporary terminal that would be located within the complex’s Business and Aviation Park adjacent to the new air traffic control tower.
“Hopefully within a year or two years, (the public) will find this place is a lot more convenient to get to,” Fuller said. “We have an economic impact of $44 million a year that we provide to the local economy in air service. That could triple.”
He added, “We’ll start off with two gates. We’ll have an expansion area to build up to 11.”
Fuller said that the authority has two letters of intent for future low-cost services: Elite Airways, which would offer flights to Nashville; and Sun Country, which would provide flights to Minneapolis. He said a third, unnamed airline is looking to bring in 60 flights a month to Gulf Shores.
For Minneapolis-based Sun County, the closest airport they provide flights to is Biloxi-Gulfport International Airport.
“The Gulf Coast continues to be a popular destination for Midwest travelers seeking a variety of entertainment options with an ocean view,” said Grant Whitney, chief revenue officer with Sun Country Airlines. “Our relationship with our partners at Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi creates a great opportunity for us to provide this experience to our guests. We are always evaluating new opportunities to deliver even more variety and options for Sun Country travelers to explore.”
Craft said that off-season, winter-time travel could be popular into Gulf Shores from the Midwest markets where so-called “Snowbirds” travel to the region each year for extended stays after the Christmas holiday.
“It’s ideal,” he said.
But Craft also believes the introduction of commercial aviation services can help reduce traffic congestion that builds into Gulf Shores and Orange Beach annually. The region, once again, is setting annual tourism records and has been doing so almost every year since the 2010 BP oil spill devastated the region’s economy.
The latest data from Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism show all-time highs reached in lodging tax and retail sales tax revenues though the summer months of this year.
The additional lure of tourists also means more vehicles and congestion continues to be a chief concern for city officials.
“It’s gotten to the point where I’ll hear from my constituents, the residents who live here, about the quality-of-life issues (with increased traffic),” Craft said. “That is my biggest challenge right now is what we will do bout the traffic. This, I believe, will help.”
Mobile’s project
The addition of commercial service in Gulf Shores would also coincide with ramped up efforts in nearby Mobile, where airport and city officials are moving forward with building a new $252 million airport terminal at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley as part of swapping commercial aviation services from Mobile Regional Airport in west Mobile to a facility near downtown. The distance between the two airports will be around 56 miles.
Chris Curry, president of the Mobile Airport Authority, said what Gulf Shores is doing “has absolutely no impact” on Mobile’s project. The goal in Mobile is construct the new airport terminal and have it open by 2024. Mobile officials would like to complete the project without incurring debt.
“We are totally different airport,” Curry said. “I certainly wish them the best in their endeavor. But I think we really are on two totally different paths. I think we cater to a different type of traveler. What we are looking to do is cater to the business and leisure traveler where I believe they are focused on leisure traveler only. It’s two different products.”
Curry also said that Mobile is not in a hurry to rebrand its airport into an international airport. He said the authority will move forward with its own rebranding plans once “we are fully-funded and have a clear path forward on how we plan to construct” the Brookley facility.
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