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The area's existing regional airport is soon to be replaced with the Panama City-Bay County International Airport Relocation Project.
The relocation of the Panama City - Bay County International Airport (PFN) has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (the 'FAA') and has received all necessary permits from the State of Florida. Air travel service to Bay County and surrounding region has been provided by the Panama City-Bay County International Airport located in Panama City.
The dramatic improvement to regional air travel service provided by the new airport, will have a significant impact on Rebecca's Landing.
The new airport is predicted to provide a tremendous opportunity for all of Northwest Florida, including the potential for better air service, more competitive airfares, economic development and the permanent protection of tens of thousands of acres surrounding West Bay (in Bay County). The project is of major interest across the U.S. and throughout the Americas since it will be the first airport built in the United States in more than two decades. At 4000 acres, the new airport site will be larger than Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport. Only about 1500 acres will be developed initially, but there will be plenty of room for expansion.
The new Panama City Beach International Airport design calls for a 100,000-square-foot facility with floor-to-ceiling windows providing views from 90 percent of the interior space. The design aims to showcase the destination's natural beauty An interior courtyard, separated by glass, will bring nature into the terminal. Rooftop louvers will admit sunlight, while also helping to control interior temperatures and maximize passenger comfort.
Prior to the new airport's FAA approval, the local Airport Authority had worked for more than ten years to address deficiencies at the current airport site. In 1998 the Airport Authority abandoned an effort to extend the existing runway system into Goose Bayou because of strong local environmental opposition. In 1999 the Airport Authority began focusing on relocation as an option after the St. Joe Company, the county's largest private landowner, agreed to work with the Airport Authority to identify a suitable site for relocation.
In May 2006, after more than five years of study, the FAA issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement selecting relocation to the West Bay site as its Preferred Alternative for addressing the deficiencies at the current airport site.
The FAA delivered its final Record of Decision to the Airport Authority on September 15, 2006, wherein it stated a recommendation to move the current Panama City/Bay County International Airport to the 4,000 acre West Bay site.
In December 2006, the Bay County Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) announced that it had received the final State of Florida permits necessary to move forward with the relocation of the Panama City - Bay County International Airport.
Issuance of the state permit cleared the way for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to issue a Section 404 permit, the final permit necessary before construction of the new airport can begin.
All challenge periods for the State of Florida permits have expired, and the issuance of these permits concludes the state permitting process.
The estimated construction time is 28 months, but 36 months is probably a better time frame, allowing for construction delays. With that time frame in place, planes could be landing at the new airport as early as the end of 2009, or at the very latest, early 2010.
With its new design, the new airport will be the only U.S. airport site that will not have to perform a retrofit to accommodate the new Airbus A380. The A380 is the new jet being manufactured by Airbus that will carry up to 800 passengers, and provide all new capacity opportunities for the cargo industry. UPS and FEDEX have both ordered 10 A380s each and the Bay County Economic Development Alliance is currently in discussions with both companies about locating a major part of their operations here. The longer runways are also expected to open up the area to cargo operations originating from the Latin America markets.
The new airport will be the first airport built since Sept. 11, so Homeland Security is interested in testing new security measures here. Tech companies from around the world will see this as somewhat of a test lab for new technology and an opportunity to work closely with Homeland Security.
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