Bradley Byrne supports moving Mobile Regional Airport to Mobile Aeroplex
For the past few years there’s been an ongoing debate as to whether or to move Mobile Regional Airport (MOB) from west Mobile, Ala. back to its original home at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley Field. On Monday, the debate was freshly renewed thanks in part to Alabama 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne. Byrne, who uses the airport to fly back and forth to Washington, DC each week, announced his support for the move to Brookley Field during a Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce presentation. “Why do I feel so passionately about that?” Byrne rhetorically asked during the presentation, reported WKRG. “It cuts 30 minutes on my drive each way.” Drawing laughs from the crowd, Bryne continued to explain he thought the move would actually be a “game-changer” for the area, which he represents in Congress. “I think it would be one of those game-changers of this area I think it hampers us not to have an airport, not at the center of our economic activity,” Byrne added. Byrne’s spokesperson, Seth Morrow, confirmed with Alabama Today that the Congressman thinks the proposed change would benefit travelers in both Baldwin and Mobile counties by providing a more centralized location closer to downtown Mobile and major points of commerce. That, “by moving locations, he believes we can increase travelers and potentially bring down ticket prices. He certainly understands that this is a decision for the Mobile Airport Authority and local leaders, but he has offered to provide any assistance from the federal level should they remain interested in a possible move.” Currently, MOB is situated approximately eight miles west of I-65 and approximately 10 miles north of I-10, from the Tillman’s Corner exit. It takes commuters 25-35 minutes driving time to reach the airport, depending on traffic conditions and weather conditions. Meanwhile, the Aeroplex sits directly off of I-10 and near I-65. First established in 1929 as Bates Field, the Aeroplex at Brookley was Mobile’s first Municipal Airport. In 1948 it was renamed Brookley Air Force Base, but it closed 1969 due to a decision by the incoming Nixon Administration as a way to save money because of the Vietnam War. Whether or not the proposal to move the airport moves forward thanks to Byrne’s support remains to be seen.
Alabama business round up: Headlines from across state – 3/29/16 edition
Who’s helping connect early startups with angel investors? What company is joining the Mobile Aeroplex to support Airbus? Who’s pledging $500k to a UAB football building? Answers to all of these questions and more in today’s business roundup: Birmingham Business Journal: ZipCar coming to Alabama The City of Huntsville is set to welcome the popular car sharing service ZipCar this week. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle is scheduled to join ZipCar executives and other local officials Tuesday to welcome the company. In February, the city approved ordinances allowing services like Uber, Lyft and Zipcar to start offering rides within Huntsville city limits. Uber began operating in Huntsville on March 4. Zipcar, a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, offers monthly membership plans allowing consumers to drive cars billable by the day or hour. The company has more than 500 urban locations worldwide. AL.com: Gulf Shores to extend Spring Break booze ban beyond this year Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft “has no second thoughts” about a beach alcohol ban hastily imposed 11 days ago amid soaring arrests during Spring Break 2016, which was fast getting out of control. Craft and Police Chief Ed Delmore, following Monday’s City Council meeting, both said they support a similar spring-break-only ban of booze on the beaches next year. This year’s ban ends on April 17. “I know this was the right thing for this community,” Craft told AL.com. “Next year, we’ll do the same thing and we’ll continue to do this. We had too many issues with it not to do it on the front end.” Added Delmore: “Everyone needs to know this was a group decision and it’s nothing that none of us are looking back on.” Delmore said the situation on the beach is much more “manageable,” although police have made further arrests. According to Delmore, there had been 461 arrests since March 5, a majority attributed to underage possession of alcohol. This month, the Gulf Shores Police Department has received 3,100 calls for service. The key trouble spot was March 12-18, when police logged 288 criminal charges. Nearly 60 percent were for underage drinking. Last week, when days were damper and cool, and fewer spring breakers came out to the beaches, police filed 129 charges. Of those, 44 were related to underage drinking. Delmore and Craft credited the City Council’s March 18 decision to immediately ban alcohol on the beaches for the decline. The ban came as angry locals were taking to social media to document unruly beach crowds and trashy parties. Craft, himself, witnessed one of the gatherings outside the San Carlos condominium. “You couldn’t see the water and neither could our paramedics or beach attendants. It was a mass of people,” he said. “There was a climate in there for conditions that we were not willing to have happen on our beach.” ‘Manageable’ situation Very little was said about the alcohol ban during Monday’s council meeting. Only Delmore spoke about it as he thanked the council for moving ahead with the ban. “We are still making numerous arrests every day but not nearly at the level we were being forced to prior to that ordinance,” Delmore said. Last year, Panama City Beach, Fla., implemented a spring break booze ban after wild parties sullied that city’s image. This year, reports indicate that the ban drove spring breakers away, to Gulf Shores and elsewhere. This week, national media have described a throbbing spring break scene at Daytona Beach, Fla., where arrests have soared by 327 percent. Very few colleges or universities are on spring break after the end of this week. The Gulf Shores ban ends on April 17. Baldwin County Public Schools are on break this week, with Mobile County Public Schools taking its break April 11-15. The University of Missouri is out this week, but classes have resumed at the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Texas A&M University, University of Texas, the University of Tennessee, Louisiana State University and the University of Arkansas. Read more here. Alabama News Center: Logistics giant Miller Transfer joins Mobile Aeroplex to support Airbus On the day the latest batch of major component assemblies made the trek from the Port of Mobile to Airbus’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility, the Mobile Airport Authority inked its latest tenant agreement with a service provider integral to the operation. The office, which currently employs one person, is responsible for the logistics of physically moving the major component assemblies required by Airbus to assemble A320-family aircraft at its $600 million campus, also located at Brookley. The facility is slated to deliver its first Mobile-assembled A321 to JetBlue soon and reach production of four aircraft per month before the close of 2017, and as many as eight per month in the years following.Pennsylvania-based Miller Transfer will operate out of the second floor of the authority’s Ninth Street headquarters, known as Building 11, at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. “We believe that (Miller Transfer’s) decision to join us at the Aeroplex is another byproduct of our commitment to a well-thought-out and deliberate aerospace incubator strategy and adds just one more world-class capability set to the Aeroplex and Mobile,” said Roger Wehner, the airport authority’s executive director. Thursday’s announcement comes less than one week after Germany-based aircraft seat manufacturer Recaro confirmed plans to occupy renovated space on the second floor of the former fire station in the heart of the former U.S. Air Force base, now home to a thriving aviation and aerospace cluster.The airbus incubator strategy offers low-cost, flexible solutions to attract suppliers to Mobile during Airbus’ initial low rate of production. Wehner called the logistics announcement a “big piece” of the broader Airbus and Brookley strategies. Praising Miller Transfer as a “great company,” he said the firm expects to employ as many as five in its large 9th Street office, while also operating a small truck yard and potentially taking advantage of exterior storage options. “Miller Transfer provides world-class, specialized logistics solutions that could serve many large, high-value applications well,” Wehner said. Founded in 1968, Miller Transfer was
Airbus supplier adding second painting facility in Mobile
The northern Gulf Coast’s burgeoning aerospace sector grew a bit more Tuesday when a German company that paints aircraft said it would expand its operations near the Airbus plant under construction in Mobile. Maas Aviation will construct a $39 million, twin-bay hangar for painting aircraft at the Mobile Aeroplex site at Brookley, the Mobile Airport Authority said. The project is expected to create 80 jobs. The new facility will be used to service the market for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhauls in the Americas. Construction is expected to begin this fall and take about one year. The company has another facility for painting aircraft that will be assembled at the Airbus plant in Mobile. Maas won that contract in April 2014. Roger Wehner, the authority’s executive director, said he has been impressed by the company so far. “The design process has included many embedded quality and efficiency elements which we believe contributes to their ability to compete on quality and speed, providing considerable value to operators,” Wehner said in a written statement. The new project was announced in conjunction with the Paris Air Show in France. A French Airbus supplier, insulation fabricator Hutchinson Corp., announced plans Monday to locate in Mobile. Airbus began construction in 2013 in Mobile on its first assembly plant in the United States. The factory will produce A319, A320 and A321 aircraft. Assembly is expected to begin this year, with delivery of the first aircraft constructed in Mobile scheduled for next year. The $600 million plant is expected to employ as many as 1,000 people once production begins. More than 90 aerospace companies are currently operating on the coast in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, an industry website operated by specialty publisher and consultant David Tortorano. North of the coast, central Alabama also is trying to attract work linked to Airbus. The city of Birmingham, Airbus, and a regional chamber of commerce, the Birmingham Business Alliance, plan to hold a conference this fall for Airbus suppliers. “We hope to create opportunities for Birmingham businesses and give the opportunity for the city to develop a closer relationship with Airbus,” Birmingham Mayor William Bell said in a statement from the air show in Paris. “This is a very exciting opportunity and an opportunity to create jobs in our city.”
