May 2015
| Business World
113
In 1929, Dale Mabry Field opened as the
first airport in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2009,
Tallahassee Regional Airport celebrated 80
years of serving the community. Account-
ing for 32% of air passenger travel in the
northwest Florida region, Tallahassee is
now turning towards a global customer
base, as they prepare to rebrand as an in-
ternational airport.
When the first municipal airport opened in
Tallahassee, Florida in 1929, it had one grass
landing strip. 60 years later, on December 3,
1989, the city opened the $33 million air-
line passenger terminal, one and half miles
southeast of the municipal terminal. With
a market area of more than 1.4 million in
total population, the airport remains a criti-
cal avenue for business travelers and every
day passengers. A gateway to the sun, sand
and beaches of the Sunshine State, the capi-
tal city is transforming its aviation epicenter
to accommodate an international fleet of
flights. As Director of Aviation, Chris Curry
acknowledged that the decision to go global
would bring about its share of skeptics.
“One of the challenges was convincing the
community that the airport was ready to
move to international status,” he said. “We
brought together a variety of participants in
the project – ranging from local to regional
to national representation and the project in-
volved working together collectively to make
sure all areas was covered.”
A three-year project at the cost of $41 mil-
lion, the details involve extending the north/
south runway 18/36 to a length of 7,000 feet
and alleviating the line of sight safety issues
