🇺🇸 Mobile Downtown Airport

Mobile International Airport (BFM), formerly known as Mobile Downtown Airport, is a public-use airport located three nautical miles south of the central business district of Mobile, Alabama. It is a principal component of the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, a 1,650-acre industrial complex, and is owned and operated by the Mobile Airport Authority. The airport was activated in April 1940 and was part of an active military installation (Brookley Air Force Base) until 1969.

Type of facility and operations:

• Airport Use: Open to the public.
• Control Tower: Yes.
• Runways: Two runways: 14/32 (9,618 x 150 ft, asphalt/concrete) and 18/36 (7,800 x 150 ft, asphalt/concrete).
• Services: Fuel (100LL, JET-A), hangars and tiedowns, major airframe and powerplant service, and bulk oxygen. It is a customs landing rights airport, allowing for international operations.
• Operations (12-month period ending October 31, 2023): 21,276 aircraft operations, averaging 68 per day. This included 53% military, 30% general aviation, 9% air taxi, and 7% scheduled commercial.
• Based Aircraft (as of October 31, 2023): 25 aircraft (16 single-engine, 2 multi-engine, 6 jet, and 1 helicopter).

Notable features or history:

• The airport was categorized as a general aviation facility in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, a change from its previous classification as a reliever airport.
• In 2018, the Mobile Airport Authority began renovating a building into "Terminal 1" for low-cost carriers, which opened in May 2019 with two boarding gates and five ticket counters.
• There have been discussions and plans to shift all commercial airline flights from Mobile Regional Airport (MOB) to Mobile International Airport (BFM) to encourage more airline service and lower airfares.

Current status:

• Mobile International Airport currently has limited commercial passenger service. While airlines like Frontier, ViaAir, Avelo Airlines, and Breeze Airways have operated or announced service to BFM in recent years, many of these services have been suspended.
• The airport continues to serve as a significant component of the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley industrial complex.

*Sources researched: airnav.com, en.wikipedia.org, skyvector.com, centreforaviation.com*