Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport


Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport, nicknamed Airport City, is a public airport located in Jones County, Mississippi.
The airport is located in an unincorporated area near Moselle, nine nautical miles north of Hattiesburg and 23 miles southwest of Laurel. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
The runway is long enough to handle Boeing 757s and 767s used by college football teams visiting Hattiesburg to play the University of Southern Mississippi.
The airport's IATA code refers to its former name, Pine Belt Regional Airport.
Hattiesburg is halfway between Mississippi's two major airports – Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport and Jackson–Evers International Airport. The three cities are linked by the four-lane U.S. Highway 49.
As per the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 12,576 passenger boardings in calendar year 2008, 12,972 in 2009, and 13,766 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport.

Facilities and aircraft

Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport covers an area of 1,170 acres at an elevation of 298 feet above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 6,501 by 150 feet.
For the 12-month period ending February 7, 2012, the airport had 37,710 aircraft operations, an average of 103 per day: 96% general aviation, 3-4% scheduled commercial, and <1% military. At that time 62 aircraft were based at this airport: 65% single-engine, 21% multi-engine, 10% jet, and 5% helicopter.
In late 2011 the airport begin an extensive refurbishment of the main terminal building.

Airline and destinations

Statistics

Non-scheduled and charter service

With its close proximity to the University of Southern Mississippi, the airport sees a great deal of larger charter airliners like the A320 and B737 transporting teams to and from athletic events.