Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport is a joint civil–military public-use airport three
nautical mile
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (6 km) northeast of the central business district of
Gulfport, a city in
Harrison County, Mississippi, United States.
It is owned by the Gulfport–Biloxi Regional Airport Authority
and serves the Gulf Coast area.
This airport is included in the
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...
for 2011–2015, which
categorized
Categorization is the ability and activity of recognizing shared features or similarities between the elements of the experience of the world (such as objects, events, or ideas), organizing and classifying experience by associating them to a ...
it as a ''primary commercial service'' airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). As per
Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 487,907 passenger boardings (enplanements) in
calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. A year can also be measured by starting on any o ...
2008; 411,978 enplanements in 2009; and 325,437 emplacements in 2014. Despite its title, all regularly scheduled commercial passenger flights at the airport are domestic flights only.
History
The airport was originally built in 1942 by the
United States Army Air Forces as a training base for
Air Corps Flying Training Command
Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as A ...
. Gulfport Army Airfield opened on July 7, and the Eastern Technical Training Command conducted technical training and basic training unit transferred to
Third Air Force on March 31, 1944 with joint use by Technical Training Command for marine training of Emergency Rescue School (3d Air Rescue Group) at
Keesler Army Airfield. With the end of the war and the drawdown of the military, Gulfport AAF was placed into reserve status on January 31, 1946.
Gulfport Field was declared excess by the Air Force and conveyed by the
War Assets Administration to the City of Gulfport in 1949 for use as a civil airport. The city negotiated airline service contracts with
Southern Airways and later
National Airlines to provide passenger and cargo service beginning in the early 1950s.
Due to the large expansion of the
United States Air Force as a result of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, a new lease was obtained for military use of the airport, and Gulfport Air Force Base was opened as a joint-use civil–military facility. Gulfport AFB was closed as an active Air Force installation and its military facilities were transferred to the
Mississippi Air National Guard
The Mississippi Air National Guard (MS ANG), commonly known as the Mississippi Air Guard, is the aerial militia of the State of Mississippi, United States of America. It is, along with the Mississippi Army National Guard, an element of the Missis ...
, with the airport remaining a joint-use airport and
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
base. Although no military aircraft are permanently assigned, the base serves as the home of the
Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center
Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center is a United States Air Force training center, located at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, Mississippi. It is located north-northeast of Gulfport, Mississippi.
Overview
The Air National Guard C ...
.
Through the late 1970s,
Southern Airways continued as the primary airline, followed by successors
Republic Airlines and
Northwest Airlines into the 1990s.
Facilities and aircraft
Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport covers an area of 1,400 acres (567
ha) at an elevation of 28 feet (9 m) above
mean sea level. It has two
runways: 14/32 is 9,002 by 150 feet (2,744 x 46 m) with an
asphalt and concrete surface; 18/36 is 4,935 by 150 feet (1,504 x 46 m) with an asphalt surface.
For the 12-month period ending January 31, 2018, the airport had 48,868 aircraft operations, an average of 134 per day: 52%
military, 26%
general aviation, 8%
air taxi, and 14%
scheduled commercial. At that time, there were 29 aircraft based at this airport: 23 single-
engine, 1
jet
Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to:
Aerospace
* Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines
** Jet airliner
** Jet engine
** Jet fuel
* Jet Airways, an Indian airline
* Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline
* Journey to Enceladus a ...
, 1 multi-engine, 3
helicopter, and 1
military.
Cargo facility
A cargo facility is at Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport. It includes of chiller space; of cargo sorting and distribution space; and of office space.
Airside access from the runway system has been designed with safety and efficiency in mind. The ramp can facilitate two MD11s, DC10s or B747s. The area is also expandable with reserved for air cargo on airport property.
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Hurricane Katrina
The airport was closed for repairs following severe damage by
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
on August 29, 2005. On August 30, 2005, the airfield reopened to first responder flights, and on September 8 it reopened for commercial flights. The airport underwent an extensive renovation that was completed in 2007.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
Airports in Mississippi
Buildings and structures in Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area
Airports established in 1942
1942 establishments in Mississippi