Just how crazy is the idea to shift commercial flights from the out-of-town airport to the in-town option? When the airport authority for Mobile, Alabama first reached out to the FAA the agency did not really believe the city was serious.
But the move is afoot. Mobile Downtown Airport at the former Brookley Air Force Base will soon be the city’s primary commercial airport. The city is convinced the shift will prove beneficial to its economy and residents alike by the middle of the decade when the work completes.
The thought has been around for a while. The stars finally aligned for us to do it.
– Chris Curry, Mobile Airport Authority President
The current Mobile Regional Airport is not a particularly bad facility. But it suffers for its location. The field is 13 miles west of downtown Mobile, which doesn’t seem like much. But it is nowhere close to a major highway and the more than 20 traffic lights along the nominal route can make it a 45-minute drive from the city’s downtown core.
The lack of highway access also makes the existing location inconvenient for many in the more populated suburbs of Mobile. Traffic is lost to Pensacola, an hour to the east, or to Gulfport-Biloxi, an hour to the west.
The Brookley location, however, is directly adjacent to I-10. It is a quick and consistent drive time from downtown or from the surrounding areas. Officials expect that to help boost appeal for visitors and locals alike.
More local demand should mean more flights and, potentially, more airlines serving the city. Mobile Airport Authority President Chris Curry sees that growth as ultimately driving down per passenger enplanement costs for airlines as the fixed operating costs are amortized across a broader base.
These lower fees are critical to the airport’s growth, delivering a virtuous cycle, assuming the planes and passengers show up.
Betting Big on BFM
This won’t be the first time the city operated its downtown facility with commercial service. Most recently Frontier asked for access to the downtown airport in early 2019.
The city converted an old warehouse adjacent to the runway for passenger service, including full TSA facilities, in just five months. Frontier eventually pulled out of the market, however, partly driven by the downturn in air traffic amid the pandemic.
That terminal will remain as part of the new airport’s operations, catering to low cost carriers. A fully featured terminal will be built adjacent to serve airlines that expect boarding bridges and other amenities.
A debt-free terminal plan
Perhaps almost as unusual as the city’s plan to move the flights closer to town is the finances behind the plan. The Mobile Airport Authority expects to complete the $250 million project without assuming any debt.
Mayor William Stimpson, long a supporter of the plan, helped to drive a $30 million commitment from the city for the new facilities. He also hopes the county and state will stump similar amounts of cash. And then the feds are expected to step in.
Curry also noted strong support for the region at the federal level. Specifically, Senator Shelby’s position on the Appropriations Committee tends to do good things for state projects.
Brookley received designation in late October under the Military Airport Program from the FAA. The designation makes the airport eligible for additional funding as part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program. As part of The FAA may be able to provide funds for utility construction, improving airport drainage, parking lot construction, and an apron reconstruction project.
Additional federal infrastructure spending on the horizon could further bolster the project’s finances.
Mayor Stimpson is confident of the debt-free development, suggesting the plan “might miss, but we won’t miss by far” on the effort.
Keeping those costs down will be a critical component of the longer term success for the facilities. The current airport will not be closing as a result of the move, though the terminal building will be shuttered. Closing an airport is far from a trivial task, and Mobile Regional will continue to be used, just not my commercial airlines. The US Coast Guard operates a significant training facility at the field, among other things.
With overall costs not dropping too much at the legacy facility it is important that debt service expenses not overwhelm the city, driving higher landing fees and pushing airlines away.
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