Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Sept. 24, 2024 – The Jonesboro Municipal Airport has been named 2024 Arkansas Airport of the Year by the Arkansas Division of Aeronautics.
The designation was officially awarded Sept. 17 and presented to the airport commission on Tuesday. The airport was heavily damaged by a tornado in 2020 and has garnered statewide attention by rebuilding to a higher standard.
“The airport is an asset to the community and will play an even bigger role in the continued growth and prosperity of not only Jonesboro but all of northeast Arkansas,” said Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver.
Copenhaver acknowledged U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton and Representative Rick Crawford for supporting the Jonesboro Municipal Airport.
“Significant local, state and federal partnerships contribute to the growth and success of the airport, including maintaining a runway 150 feet in width,” Copenhaver said.
Lengthening the runway is anticipated in 2025 and 2026. Bids for a new terminal may be let as early as next month, with construction in late spring of 2025.
The city has established the Jonesboro Municipal Airport Commission, which consists of seven board members, to provide recommendations concerning all airport matters. The Airport Manager, appointed by the Airport Commission, has the day-to-day responsibility for the operation of the airport. However, the Airport Commission is responsible for the operation and development needs of the airport, as well as compliance with all federal, state and local regulations that pertain to the operation of the airport.
Currently, the airport is served by Southern Airways Express which provides three round trip flights per day on average to (STL) St. Louis, Missouri and (BNA) Nashville, Tennessee airports that provide connecting direct flights to both international and most major U.S. city destinations.
The proposed primary runway, taxiway and parking ramp pavement will help existing based and itinerant aircraft fully utilize the airport and operate more safely. It will also accommodate much larger aircraft that have needed to use Jonesboro’s facilities for years but have been unable to.
View the proposed plan at Jonesboro.org.
