Gulf Shores International Airport announces commercial flights beginning May 2025

BY RUTH MAYO
Reporter
ruth@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 11/19/24

GULF SHORES — Tickets are on sale now for the first commercial flight routes to and from the Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF). Offered through the Allegiant Travel Company airline in May …

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Gulf Shores International Airport announces commercial flights beginning May 2025

Posted

GULF SHORES — Tickets are on sale now for the first commercial flight routes to and from the Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF).

Offered through the Allegiant Travel Company airline in May 2025, some tickets are as low as $49. The announcement of the first commercial airline flying out of Gulf Shores was made at the airport Tuesday morning to an invitation-only crowd of media, elected officials, community leaders and city employees from Gulf Shores and other south Baldwin municipalities.

“You can start booking flights right now at allegiantair.com,” said Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, vice president of planning with Allegiant. “Our first flight is on May 21, 2025, and we have more flights to start things right after that.”


The first flight will be coming in from the McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tennessee. The plane will then return to Knoxville.

Jesse Fosnaugh, airport director for the Gulf Shores International Airport, explained that when the terminal opens in May 2025 there will be six destinations accessible by Allegiant flights, including Knoxville, Kansas City, Houston, Cincinnati, St. Louis/Belleville and Northwest Arkansas.

Fosnaugh, who was announced as airport director in mid-October after the November 2023 retirement of Scott Fuller after 10 years and a search for his successor, said each of these cities will be served twice weekly with nonstop flights to and from Gulf Shores.

“Allegiant's new service will connect Gulf Shores directly to major cities, enhancing the quality of life for residents by providing new convenient travel options,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said. “These nonstop routes will also make traveling to Alabama's beaches easier than ever, allowing visitors to enjoy our local shops, restaurants and everything our area has to offer more frequently.”

The jump from private-only to commercial flights reflects the growing popularity of the Alabama Gulf Coast. After the city purchased the airport in 1983 and opened a general aviation terminal in 1998, more recent runway expansions and then the construction of an air traffic control tower in 2021 have positioned the airport to become the second-busiest in the state of Alabama, according to its website, based on the number of annual air operations (takeoffs and landings).

Schilling-Gonzales said Allegiant has done “a lot of our own research” when it comes to understanding where Gulf Shores and Orange Beach visitors are coming from. She also said Allegiant has worked with both cities’ tourism departments to understand the visiting population.

She said the process of picking flight routes was, “more of (asking) where are people already coming from and how can we make this easier for them to come more often.”

She said these six routes are scheduled to last until September 2025, then, after Allegiant “evaluating” the current routes, more routes could be added for the summer and winter seasons.

Fosnaugh said he is “thrilled” with Allegiant being the “first carrier to bring scheduled aircraft” to the city’s airport.

“Their business model, low-fares and expertise in leisure travel aligns perfectly with our community’s long-time vision to bring air service to this community,” Fosnaugh said. “This announcement is a game-changer.
“... The big deal is now that we have this air service we’ve got to use it."

The new routes from Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF) include:
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park/Knoxville, Tennessee via McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) – beginning May 21, 2025.
• Cincinnati, Ohio via Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) – beginning May 22, 2025.
• Houston, Texas via William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) – beginning May 22, 2025.
• Bentonville/Fayetteville, Arkansas via Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) – beginning May 22, 2025.
• Belleville, Illinois via MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV) – beginning May 23, 2025.
• Kansas City, Missouri via Kansas City International Airport (MCI) – beginning May 24, 2025.

“We’re excited about this expansion and growth. It really is a big deal,” Fosnaugh said. “We’re going to make sure at the airport that it’s balanced in optimizing the economic impact as well as the quality of life.”

While the new structure for the airport is still under construction as they just poured the concrete. With construction expected to be complete before May 2025, Fosnaugh said that they “build the dreams.”