A community’s dream: Gulf Shores Airport begins commercial service this May

c: Gulf Shores International Airport

Gulf Shores, Alabama may be the United States’ best kept secret among those in the know, but its sugar-white sand beaches stretching for 32 miles rival Miami’s (without the spring break mayhem) and soon, it may be your next holiday destination, so you might want to get there before the rest of the world hears about it!

This is because until recently, Gulf Shores Airport, which was a general aviation airport, is now in the process of transitioning to a commercial airport. The decision to transition was made by community leaders who recognise the benefits that commercial aviation brings, such as attracting new business and creating jobs. The airport is the second busiest in the state of Alabama after Birmingham Airport, with 100,000 aircraft movements happening annually at Gulf Shores. The first step taken was obtaining a federal control tower in 2021, and in 2022, they secured their operating certificate.

It is no mean feat and a particular type of project, so it required someone with expertise to lead the transformation of the airport. This is where Jesse Fosnaugh comes in.

Jesse, Airport Director of Gulf shores International Airport (GUF) hails from an aviation background. Having first harboured ambitions as a Pilot, Jesse soloed when he was only 16 and got his Pilot’s licence when he was 17. However, it was when he got his first internship at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Michigan that he discovered his love for airport operations.

“I thought being a Pilot was the career for me, however, when I had my first internship, I discovered what you could do at airports, aspects which were very unique and a lot of fun.”

c: Gulf Shores International Airport

Jesse graduated from Western Michigan University, where he was in the Air National Guard as an A-10 mechanic. He also worked on weekends and two weeks in the summer for the U.S. military Air National Guard.

“Then my first civilian job took me out to Portland, Maine where I was a Communication Centre Officer and Noise Abatement Manager. And then I got recruited by Jeff Bourk, the Executive Director at Branson Airport to come out there to start a project. I didn’t even know where Branson was, but I took a leap of faith and went there to an airport that was still under construction. They levelled mountains and filled in valleys to make that airport. I was there for about six months before the airport opened for operations. That role really set the stage for my career as it allowed me to see different facets of airport management. I was never pigeonholed to being just airside operations or marketing because I did it all. It was at Branson Airport that I got my accreditation, moved up the ranks and eventually became Deputy Director. When the opportunity became available in Gulf Shores, I thought it was a good fit because of the project I had already worked on.”

The terminal

In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Gulf Shores $5 million under the Airport Terminals Program (ATP), and they also received a $3 million loan from the city of Gulf Shores with no interest and payments for three years.

c: Gulf Shores International Airport

The terminal building itself, which is 17,500 square feet, cost only $8 million. “This is unheard of,” said Jesse, and this was to ensure that if their experiment failed, then the building could be turned into an aircraft hangar.

“We had different consultants throughout the project who suggested a $25 million terminal, and a private partnership. There was a period when Vinci Airports were involved, but without an air carrier lined up that fizzled out. So, we said, you know what? Let’s just do it ourselves. Do a proof of concept, build the smallest purpose-built functional, so that if it didn’t work out, it could still become an aircraft hangar. And that’s what it is! Contrary to everyone’s worst fears, it’s going to have a real shot of success.”

The small terminal has only two gates, four parking positions for narrow body aircraft and this will serve them well for the time being. However, in the future, they would have room to expand in a linear fashion to the east.

The airport experience will be simple when they open doors, with vending machines and local food trucks on the landside, which can be used by passengers and others such as the nearby Navy cadet flight school. The goal is to get an F&B provider for the airside further down the line, this is still to be confirmed.

c: Gulf Shores International Airport

In terms of the look and feel of the airport, they are fully aware that the terminal looks and feels like a hangar – because that’s what it is. “It’s going to be difficult in many respects to completely disguise that it’s just a big metal building.” However, the huge benefit of this is that the costs are low. “Airlines are not paying for our marble countertops, columns and decorative things, and therefore neither are our passengers.”

Jesse also points out that there is a “very unique look in Gulf Shores” which screams holiday destination. The exterior will feature a lot of palm trees and the interior will have feature walls and invoke the colour palette of the destination with a tropical feel. The Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Tourism board will have a post where they can give inbound tourists all the information they need to have a great time, and also promote their ‘Leave only footprints’ initiative.

Airlines

Despite the airport being built on a shoestring budget, Jesse is glad to report that their first airline has “not just dipped their toe in, they’ve fully jumped in the water.”

In November 2024, Allegiant announced that it would begin offering the first-ever commercial service from Gulf Shores, launching six new non-stop routes twice per week in May 2025. The new routes include McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA), MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV), and Kansas City International Airport (MCI). The airline’s goal is to bring leisure demand to underserved communities with limited or no air service, and these new routes will make it easier for passengers to access Alabama’s beautiful beaches.

Building on the success of this announcement, the airport has also finalised a deal with ParkMobile, a provider of smart parking solutions. ParkMobile is already widely used throughout the city of Gulf Shores and provides a simple way for people to pay for their parking. As such, it will be well recognised by the locals who use the airport.

c: Gulf Shores International Airport

Challenges

Jesse certainly has his work cut out for him but says the biggest challenges apart from the monumental efforts in scaling, such as budgets, staffing, and infrastructure, is the change of mindset. “It’s more than a metal building with rental cars, baggage belts and conveyance systems. It’s an educational campaign, as those who worked within the site are not familiar with these things. Luckily, I’ve done this before, so that’s what I bring to the table. I couldn’t exist in a job that didn’t have a challenge. I really look forward to the partnership. I like working with people and I like operations.”

Currently, Jesse represents a third of the workforce at the airport as they are a team of three. The plan is to bring on four more full-time employees. They will be adopting what Jesse calls “the Swiss army knife model” where everyone pitches in with all roles, such as security, landside operations, executive and office management et cetera. Outside of the immediate team, around 50 estimated jobs will be created due to TSA and ground handling.

c: Gulf Shores International Airport

The future

Jesse is looking forward to the day that the terminal opens for its first flights.

“What am I looking forward to most this year? Absolutely the launch! The excitement for the airport is truly palpable in the Gulf Shores community. Everyone from elected officials, business leaders, and even on the state and federal level, there is a buzz about this. After that, it’s getting through the summer season and then seeing what we can improve on. And finally, it will be building my airport team. We will become a pillar in the community.”

It’s certainly an interesting project for any airport leader to be working on, and especially significant for a community that has never had a commercial service.

“It’s the community’s airport and I really want to give it back to Gulf Shores and know that they’ve got they’ve got a voice and a conduit now. Most of all, I just want to help facilitate the dream that this community’s had for many years.”

Gulf Shores Airport’s first commercial flight with Allegiant takes off on 21 May 2025.