Learn More
History
| Prior to 1970 | ||
| 1929 | Bates Field at Brookley is officially dedicated as an airport |
![]() Charles Lindbergh (center) 1927, ALCOA Collection, University of South Alabama Archives.
|
| 1937 | First commercial air carrier service begins | |
| 1938 | Bates Field is moved to its current location in west Mobile - 8400 Airport Blvd. | |
| 1947 | Mobile Municipal Airport terminal constructed at Bates Field in west Mobile | |
| 1950 | Mobile Municipal Airport airlines carry 30,000 enplaned passengers | |
| 1965 | Coast Guard moves its aviation training center to Bates Field | |
| 1970 | ||
| November 14, 1972 | First board meeting of Interim Airport Authority |
![]() Eastern Airlines flight from Mobile, circa 1950, Stephens G. Croom Collection, University of South Alabama Archives. |
| 1977 | County Commission authorizes expansion of Mobile Municipal Airport and creation of the Mobile Airport Authority through Alabama State Legislation
Airport served by Eastern Airlines, Southern Airways, and National Airlines |
|
| June 20, 1978 | Groundbreaking ceremony for airport runway expansion | |
| September 1978 | Delta files a petition with the Civil Aeronautics Board to serve Mobile | |
| October 22, 1978 | Southeastern Airport Managers Association Conference held in Mobile | |
| 1978 | Airline Deregulation Act passed | |
| April 16, 1979 | 47th consecutive record breaking month, in terms of passengers, at Mobile Municipal Airport | |
| June, 1979 | Texas International Airlines begins serving Mobile with a special round-trip fare of $0.20 cents | |
| 1980 | ||
| January 11, 1980 | City Commissioners agree to move forward with new airport facility
Instruct attorneys to create documentation for a five-member municipal airport authority board of directors |
![]() The USS Enterprise on its way to the World's Fair in New Orleans, 1984. University of South Alabama Archives. |
| January 16, 1980 | Mobile Bay Taxi begins serving Mobile Municipal Airport | |
| January 1980 | Pan American World Airways merges with National Airlines | |
| December 20, 1982 | G. Bay Haas is appointed Executive Director of the Mobile Airport Authority
Airport Authority becomes the owner and operator of Mobile Municipal Airport, Brookley Downtown Airport and Brookley Industrial Complex |
|
| January 3, 1983 | G. Bay Haas first day as Executive Director | |
| 1984 | Mobile Municipal Airport reaches 40 flights per day aboard American, Delta, Eastern, Republic and two commuter carriers: Air New Orleans and Scheduled Skyways | |
| March 5, 1985 | Groundbreaking Ceremony for new airport terminal | |
| 1984 | Mobile and Gulfport/Biloxi Airports declared a Foreign Trade Zone | |
| October 27, 1986 | Official Dedication of M.C. Farmer Terminal Mobile Municipal Airport | |
| November 1, 1986 | Mobile Municipal Airport opens with the arrival of American Airlines flight 143 | |
| 1990 | ||
| Fall 1993 | USAir, Delta, Continental and American serve Mobile
Conquest Commuter Airline begins serving Mobile |
|
| October 1993 | American Airlines ends service / American Eagle begins service to Mobile | |
| November 1993 | Continental Airlines ends service to Mobile | |
| May 1994 | UltraAir begins service to Birmingham and New York | |
| July 1994 | UltraAir goes out of business | |
| October 8, 1994 | Family sculpture unveiled | |
| March 21, 1994 | Conquest ends commuter airline service | |
| April 1994 | Delta begins service to Birmingham | |
| May 27, 1994 | UltraAir begins service to Birmingham and New York | |
| 1994 | Mobile Regional served by: USAir, Delta Air Lines, American Eagle, Conquest, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Continental Express and Northwest Airlink | |
| May 1995 | USAir ends service to Charlotte | |
| September 1995 | Continental Express resumes flights to Houston
American Eagle begins service to Tampa |
|
| November 1, 1995 | Gulfstream International Airlines begins service to Birmingham, New Orleans and Tampa | |
| March, 1996 | Mobile Jet Express (Myrtle Beach Direct Air) delays starting service to New York, Chicago and Atlanta due to lack of demand; set to start on May 24 (service never starts) | |
| May 2, 1996 | ValuJet/AirTran begins service to Atlanta (also starts service from Fort Walton) | |
| May 11, 1996 | ValuJet plane crashes in everglades
ValuJet/AirTran begins service to Atlanta (again) |
|
| April 10, 1997 | AirTran begins service to Atlanta for the third time | |
| July 1997 | Delta begins service to Birmingham
Direct flights: Continental Express 2 flights (jets), 1 flight (turboprop) to Houston Delta Airlines - 8 flights (jets) to Atlanta, 3 flights (jets) to Dallas, 1 flight (jet) to Birmingham United Express 2 flights (jets) to Chicago (ORD), 1flight (jet) to Washington (IAD) Northwest Airlink 4 flights (jets) to Memphis |
|
| May 1998 | AirTran discontinues service to Mobile | |
| 1999 | ACA/United Express begins service (jets) to Chicago
ACA/United Express begins service (jets) to Washington, DC Comair begins service (jets) Cincinnati Northwest Airlink upgrades to all jets |
|
| March 15, 1999 | AirTran and the Beau Rivage join to start service to/from Gulfport to six AirTran cities: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (HOU), Nashville (BNA), Ft. Lauderdale (FLL), Tampa (TPA) and AirTran's hub, Atlanta (ATL) | |
| 2000 | ||
| 2000 | Continental Express upgrades all flights to jets | |
| March 2000 | Northwest Airlink upgrades aircraft to regional jets | |
| 2001 | US Airways Express begins service (jets) to Charlotte
ACA/United Express cuts flights to Dulles and Chicago OHare Mobile Regional offers ground transportation after Capital Transportation leaves airport |
|
| November 6, 2001 | AirTran begins service to Pensacola and terminates service to Fort Walton Beach | |
| 2002 | SkyWest/DL Connection begins service (jets) Dallas
Awarded Small Community Air Service Development Grant for Station Services Program |
|
| July 1, 2003 | Chautauqua/DL Connection begins service (jets) to Orlando | |
| June 2005 | American Eagle begins service with two daily flights (jets) to Dallas/Fort Worth | |
| November, 2005 | American Eagle adds a third flight to Dallas/Fort Worth
Continental Express adds two flights to Houston (6 total) |
|
| September, 2006 | Delta restores Cincinnati service (1 flight) | |
| October, 2006 | M.C. Farmer Terminal / Mobile Regional Airport turned 20 years old | |
| May 2006 | AirTran re-starts service from Gulfport to Tampa and Fort Lauderdale, continues service to Atlanta; restores service to level held before Hurricane Katrina | |
| April, 2007 | American Eagle adds service to Chicago OHare (1 flight) | |
| June, 2007 | American Eagle adds a fourth flight to Dallas/Fort Worth | |
| January, 2008 | American Eagle removes the fourth flight to Dallas/Fort Worth due to a pilot strike | |
| April, 2008 | American Eagle reinstates the fourth flight to Dallas/Fort Worth | |
| June, 2008 | American Eagle adds a fifth flight to Dallas/Fort Worth
Delta upgrades two 50-seat jets to CR-9 (76 seats) |
|
| September, 2008 | American Eagle removes the flight to Chicago OHare (ORD) due to price of fuel | |
| October 6, 2008 | William Bill B. Sisson is appointed Executive Director of the Mobile Airport Authority | |
| November, 2008 | American Eagle removes two flights (fourth and fifth) to Dallas/Fort Worth | |
| June, 2009 | Delta bring MD-88 mainline service back to Mobile
Delta adds an eighth and ninth flight to Atlanta |
|
| August, 2009 | American Eagle reinstates fourth flight to Dallas Fort/Worth | |










