The birthplace of Mardi Gras could have a new airport soon. Mobile’s city council just allocated $30 million for a new airport using surplus funds. The project is expected to cost around $252 million. The new airport will be located in the Brookley neighborhood. City leaders want to bring more direct flights to Mobile.
CJ Small is the Vice President of the Mobile City Council. He said the current airport discourages air travel in Mobile.
“The airport in Mobile is located in the very far west of the city, and you have to take a very heavy trafficked street, which is Airport Boulevard, to go out," he said. "It’s not really feasible for a lot of the citizens in Mobile and also citizens that surround Mobile.”
Mobile only has direct flights to Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas currently. Small hopes that the new airport’s central location will help Mobile compete with Pensacola and Biloxi for direct flights.
“Locating the airport at the Brookley aeroplex, which is located on I-10 and close to I-65, made perfect sense," Small said. "We can be in the heart of Mobile and also have easy access for people in the Baldwin County area.”
The new Mobile airport is expected to be completed in 2024.
