Middle Georgia Regional Airport flying high with $50M in improvements

When Spirit Airlines backed out of its Macon-to-Fort Lauderdale route last fall, it was disappointing for Doug Faour, aviation director of the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, but the move also led to other airlines taking notice.

Contour Airlines swooped in and picked up the route in April, and the longtime Macon air carrier will send its first plane down to Florida in just a few weeks.

The number of commercial tickets sold by the airport has spiked from 890 in 2012 to more than 15,000 today, marking just one of several ways the airport in South Macon has grown.

The airport is currently tackling roughly $50 million in projects — with another $35 million on the horizon — all in the hope of returning additional investment to Macon-Bibb County.

“It’s the most concentrated amount of investment and construction and improvements in the history of the airport,” Faour said.

The airport’s new executive terminal — also known as its fixed-base operator — broke ground last October and is slated to be completed in early 2027. The guitar-shaped terminal will serve as a pit stop for fueling and maintenance while also including a lounge and restaurant for visiting aviators.

Faour said he hopes the building’s design leaves visitors with a good first impression of Macon — and a clear idea of the area’s significance in America’s musical heritage.

“We don’t look at this as an airport project,” Faour said. “We look at it as a community project.”

Excavators have also been digging up tons of dirt to make way for the airport’s 600-foot runway expansion. The process to receive approval and secure funding for the project has spanned more than a decade. It broke ground in 2023. 

In 2020, the airport’s justification study — demonstrating the needs and presence of larger aircraft that could use the additional runway space — was approved.

Several factors, including the weight of the aircraft, weather and air pressure, affect a plane’s ability to land. While any plane could land at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport under the right conditions, the extra runway will “increase the likelihood” planes can land when facing less-than-ideal conditions, Faour said.

Some of the airport maintenance companies that operate out of the airport, such as Embraer S.A. or Dean Baldwin Painting, work on larger planes like Boeing 767s that could benefit from the expansion.

Planes can land and go as they please, but many of the 87 planes housed by the airport choose to base their planes in Macon because of the area’s affordability and low taxes, Faour said.

The airport received just over $3 million in grants in August 2024 to construct new hangars and are in talks to add even more, Faour added. Hanger leasing, along with fuel sales, help the airport generate revenue, he noted.

Faour said the airport is also working toward connecting its airport to the international flight network. For example, passengers can book flights to the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale through JetBlue.

Top routes for Macon flyers include New York City, South Florida, Las Vegas, Chicago and Dallas, Faour said.

The challenge is getting airlines to come to Macon, he said. Airport officials work to make that happen by identifying passenger destination trends and offering an incentive package to reduce operating costs for potential airlines, Faour said.

He added data shows passenger demand will be able to grow and support expansion, with migration to the state increasing.

“The convenience of using this airport is phenomenal when you compare it to having to catch a [taxi or bus] or drive to Atlanta,” Faour said.

Flights down to Fort Lauderdale will begin June 9, with tickets going as low as $99.