Golden Triangle Regional Airport is a public use airport in unincorporated Lowndes County, Mississippi. 36,275 enplanements in 2009, and 36,329 in 2010. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). It is the third-busiest commercial airport in the state of Mississippi.
GTR is the nucleus of a new industrial complex in northeast Mississippi. American Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters), a subsidiary of EADS North America, moved into an helicopter production plant built by the airport and leased to the company on airport property in 2004. In 2007, American Eurocopter finished the second phase of the project, a facility built primarily to manufacture and assemble the new U.S. Army UH-72A Lakota light utility twin engine helicopter. Severstal North America opened a steel mini-mill in an adjacent site in October 2007 and immediately began construction on phase II, bringing total investment in the plant to $1.8 billion. Paccar, parent company of Peterbilt, Kenworth and DAF (Dutch) trucks, has operated a truck engine manufacturing facility since late 2010 that is located to the north of the airport. Other industries, many with international roots, continue to be located at the industrial park adjacent to the airport. The area has two "Megasites" adjacent to the airport that were certified under the Tennessee Valley Authority's Certified Megasite program. In addition, two aerospace companies, Aurora Flight Sciences and Stark Aerospace, built facilities on airport property and primarily manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles. Stark Aerospace is the newly formed subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries.
History
Plans to build the airport at a cost of $2.2 million were announced by Senator John C. Stennis in August 1966. In December of the same year, the three local cities approved bond issues to pay $1,285,000 for the airport, with the remaining 45% of the project to be paid for by the federal government. The airport opened in 1971. Southern Airways had been serving the Columbus-Lowndes County Airport since 1949 and moved to GTR in September, 1971. Southern was merged into Republic Airlines in 1979 which continued service until 1985. Since then GTR has received service by several regional carriers operating on behalf of American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and the current Delta Air Lines.
Facilities and aircraft
Golden Triangle Regional Airport covers an area of 1,000 acres (405 ha) at an elevation of 264 feet (80 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 8,003 by 150 feet (2,439 x 46 m).
The airport plans to expand the second floor waiting area and to install a jet bridge starting in the spring of 2023.
Airlines and destinations
According to FlightAware, scheduled nonstop passenger service to Atlanta (ATL) is currently operated by Endeavor Air flying as the Delta Connection on behalf of Delta Air Lines with Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets.