Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport

Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport
USGS 1992 orthophoto
IATA: GPT ICAO: KGPT FAA LID: GPT
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Gulfport–Biloxi Regional Airport Authority
Serves	Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area
Location	Gulfport, Mississippi
Elevation AMSL	28 ft / 9 m
Coordinates	30°24′26″N 089°04′12″W / 30.40722°N 89.07000°W / 30.40722; -89.07000Coordinates: 30°24′26″N 089°04′12″W / 30.40722°N 89.07000°W / 30.40722; -89.07000
Website	www.FlyGPT.com
Map
GPT Show map of Mississippi GPT Show map of the US Location of airport in Mississippi / United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 14/32 9,002 2,744 Asphalt/Concrete 18/36 4,935 1,504 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft operations 63,052 Based aircraft 34
Sources: Airport website and FAA

Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport (IATA: GPT, ICAO: KGPT, FAA LID: GPT) is a joint civil–military public-use airport three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Gulfport, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is owned by the Gulfport–Biloxi Regional Airport Authority and serves the Gulf Coast area.

This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year). As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 487,907 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 411,978 enplanements in 2009, and 325,437 emplacements in 2014.

The airport was originally built in 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base for Air Corps Flying Training Command. Gulfport Army Airfield opened on July 7, and the Eastern Technical Training Command conducted technical training and basic training unit transferred to Third Air Force on March 31, 1944 with joint use by Technical Training Command for marine training of Emergency Rescue School (3d Air Rescue Group) at Keesler Army Airfield. With the end of the war and the drawdown of the military, Gulfport AAF was placed into reserve status on January 31, 1946.

Gulfport Field was declared excess by the Air Force and conveyed by the War Assets Administration to the City of Gulfport in 1949 for use as a civil airport. The city negotiated airline service contracts with Southern Airways and later National Airlines to provide passenger and cargo service beginning in the early 1950s.