Mississippi Press
Officials celebrate completion of Trent Lott airport improvement project
By Warren Kulo
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Local and federal officials celebrated the grand reopening of Trent Lott International Airport Wednesday, following the completion of a three-year, $10 million improvement project.
“There’s no question that the Trent Lott International Airport is a huge asset to our economic development portfolio,” said George Freeland, executive director of the Jackson County Economic Development Foundation. “Completion of this major expansion project is not only making the airport more economically resilient but will have the downstream impact of increasing private investment and job creation at the Aviation Technology Park.”
The project, which began in 2019, involved runway lengthening and widening.
Freeland credited U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo -- both of whom were on hand for Thursday’s ceremony -- and other officials for their efforts in support of the project.
“I applaud Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith, Congressman Palazzo, Gov. Reeves, and the entire Jackson County legislative delegation for their tireless efforts to secure these federal and state funds for our infrastructure,” he said. “Without their leadership, this expansion project would not have been possible.”
The $10 million in funding for the project was obtained from multiple sources, including the Federal Aviation Administration; Mississippi Department of Transportation; and the RESTORE Act, created in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The airport is part of the 230-acre Jackson County Aviation Technology Park, also home to Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Systems Center. The airport project saw the runway capacity increased to 220,000 pounds and widening it to 150 feet.
With the expansion project complete, the airport will now be able to:
• Accommodate C-130 cargo planes;
• Have additional redundancy along the Mississippi Gulf Coast for emergency management officials to receive vital supplies during natural and manmade disasters;
• Achieve cost-savings for existing industries by supporting air cargo transportation needs in close proximity to their facilities;
• Compete on aviation-related economic development projects which require runway use to transport cargo;
• Increase corporate aviation; and
• Pursue additional military training activities and fueling services.
Thursday also marked the introduction of Southern Sky Aviation, a Birmingham (Ala.)-based company which will provide aeronautical services including fueling, hangaring, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, and other similar services.