Five years ago, Jesse Fosnaugh and his family inched their way to the Alabama Gulf Coast after a grueling 12-hour drive from Branson, Missouri.“

“It was two-lane traffic through the United States, and you knew how to get here with everyone following their GPS like they were in a Conga line,” said Fosnaugh. “It was the same way in the other direction. It was a long drive.”

Fast forward to today, and Fosnaugh isn’t just visiting Gulf Shores — he‘s leading a transformation. As the new director of the city’s first commercial airport, he‘s helping to launch a milestone moment that is a rarity in U.S. aviation: the first-ever commercial flight service to a city that’s never had it before.

“It’s a game-changer and this community has worked hard for it,” he said.

Flights begin

The inaugural Allegiant Air flight takes place Wednesday from Gulf Shores inside a two-gate, $8 million airport that, as of Friday, was in its final stages of construction.

The first flight from McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tenn., will arrive at Gulf Shores filled with passengers around 1:14 p.m. The first departure from Gulf Shores to Tennessee is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. that night.

While a first for Gulf Shores, the inaugural flights also represent a first for Allegiant, the Las Vegas-based low-cost airline that has grown into a powerhouse for vacation travelers. The airline has never offered service at an Alabama airport before.

“Allegiant’s new service isn’t just about adding flights,” said Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft. “It’s about connecting Gulf Shores to major cities in a way that will make a real difference for our community.”

The company, which announced its new service in Gulf Shores in November, will operate two year round routes and four that are seasonal. Each of the six flights will occur twice weekly, running on a Wednesday to Sunday schedule.

The flights connect to airports in the Midwest, which are popular regions of the country where coastal Alabama attracts its tourists. The airports are in and around the cities of Knoxville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas City, and Fayetteville, Ark.

The return flights to the cities will offer coastal Alabama residents an opportunity to visit the Midwest markets that are home to large metropolitan regions with professional sports franchises, museums, amusement parks, trendy downtown districts and more.

“I encourage people to check that out,” said Fosnaugh, adding that his flight from Gulf Shores will be next week, where he will meet up with his daughter – a college student in Kansas City – and the two will catch a Kansas Royals baseball game on Friday.

“There are absolutely plenty of things you can do,” he said. “If you’re fan of a MLB team, NFL team, look at going to those destinations.”

Big goals

The goals for the airport are lofty, with Fosnaugh anticipating Gulf Shores International Airport luring 60,000 passengers this year. Of those passengers, 80% are expected to be visitors from one of the six destinations with about 20% of coastal Alabama residents flying out.

At that estimate, it would place Gulf Shores immediately ahead of Dothan Regional Airport, which had around 37,000 enplanements in 2023, and within reach of Montgomery Regional Airport’s 181,000 enplanements.

The longer-term goal is for the Gulf Shores International Airport’s initial destinations to be a success, and to lead to more Allegiant destinations.

“Residents will have more convenient travel options, and visitors will find it easier than ever to reach Alabama’s beaches to experience our local businesses, restaurants, and everything that makes this place special,” Craft said. “We deeply appreciate Allegiant’s commitment to Gulf Shores and look forward to building a lasting partnership as we welcome this new chapter together.”

Fosnaugh said the hope is for the evolution of the airport, with Allegiant Air’s presence, is to put it on par with Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport located within Eglin Air Force Base in Northwest Florida.

That could make Gulf Shores potentially the second busiest airport in Alabama, trailing only Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, which sees around 1.5 million passengers each year. According to Federal Aviation Administration data, more than 1.1 million passengers passed through Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in 2023, up 13.3% from the 985,567 passengers in 2022.

Related: How high will Gulf Shores fly? Early projections suggest potential to be Alabama’s No. 2 airport

The activity would represent quite a change for an airport that has been owned by the city for 42 years but has mostly served as an active facility for private, charter airplanes.

However, Fosnaugh said he doesn’t see the airport – and its potential growth – eroding the city’s “Small Town, Big Beach” tagline.

“I don’t think we need to sacrifice any of our values or the things that we hold dear to us,” Fosnaugh said. “I very much feel like we have a small town feel and will continue to have that … 32 miles of beach is a lot of beach. That’s what we have here. We are now sharing this with people we never have before.”

More immediately, officials have goals of alleviating some of the roads that are inundated with congestion during peak tourism activity that often begins after Memorial Day and lasts until early August.

Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have long been a drive-to destination, meaning that well over 90% of visitors to the coastal beaches arrive via an automobile. Though there is no targeted statistics, Fosnaugh said he believes the airport will offer relief on Alabama State Route 59 and other roadways north of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Beth Gendler, president & CEO with Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism, said the new flights will make arriving to the beaches quicker and affordable while helping reduce travel times.

“Our existing visitors have a new option for getting away to the beach for a long weekend or for a full week, and these flights should encourage new visitors to give our destination a try because of the great prices and cutting hours off the time it takes to get here if driving,” she said.

“We really like Allegiant’s model of nonstop flights and are hopeful Alabama’s beaches will see the same success and expansion to more Allegiant markets as some of our neighboring destination,” she added.

Noise concerns

Fosnaugh said the new commercial activity should not contribute to additional noise along the beaches. He said the airport will host fewer than three commercial flights departing daily, and he does not believe it will be a nuisance to the neighborhoods.

“The primary route for arrival is over the Bay, it’s over the water,” he said. “And to the west, we‘re talking about a little bit over the Wharf in Orange Beach, but that’s it. When you talk about Craft Farms or over the beaches, it’s just happening that way.”

Fosnaugh noted that the airport has long been an active hub for private and charter carriers, and that noise has never been a problem before.

“I would say that people do bring it up like they believe it will be an issue,” Fosnaugh said. “Respectfully, it’s not founded in a basis of information. We‘re taking zero to three flights per day.”

Final touches

For now, the finishing touches are underway to get the airport prepared for its grand opening and inaugural flights.

Inside the terminal, workers are bolting down seating in the passenger terminal, installing pictures, hanging new lighting, and finalizing everything that needs to be done before Wednesday’s inaugural showcase.

“We‘re ready to go,” Fosnaugh said. “We are ready for May 21.”