Mobile International Airport Gains $31 Million In State Funding

The Alabama Legislature recently passed a budget that includes $31 million for the Mobile Airport Authority’s swap of commercial aviation from the Mobile Regional Airport in West Mobile to a new five-gate terminal at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. According to AL.com, The new terminal’s location is the key for its gaining support from public officials: only 7 miles from Downtown Mobile, it is also close to the Port of Mobile, which boasts five rail lines and is adjacent to the ship channel undergoing a massive dredging project to accommodate larger ships. It also helped that the airport will be much closer to Interstate 10 than the Mobile Regional Airport. “Mobile is perfectly situated to reclaim the lead as the Gulf Coast’s regional hub of business and travel,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “The relocation of air service from West Mobile to Brookley is the final spark to ignite the long-anticipated economic expansion of Downtown Mobile that will reverberate throughout Southwest Alabama and beyond.” Included in $164.5 million of funding for the Alabama Department of Commerce earmarked for special purposes, the funding will be included in a budget that takes effect on October 1.