GULF SHORES — When the next opportunity comes, Gulf Shores and its airport hope to be better prepared for landing a maintenance, repair and overhaul vendor at the growing airport complex.

Recently, the city was in the running for a similar vendor but lost out to a northwest Florida location instead.

A Growing Alabama Tax Credit grant effort seeking $2.3 million, if successful, would give the city and airport board money to improve infrastructure to make Gulf Shores more attractive to an MRO operator.

“The Growing Alabama scope includes site grading, apron construction and associated airside infrastructure improvements necessary to create shovel-ready aviation development pads,” city Economic Development Coordinator Blake Phelps told Gulf Shores City Council in a March 17 work session. “These apron improvements represent the portion of the larger airport development strategy requested to be funded through the Growing Alabama program.”

Phelps said several similar operators have been to Gulf Shores International Airport but none have decided to open up shop here.

“Most recently, we’ve had an MRO facility that evaluated our airport for a project that was going to generate about 200 jobs and bring in about $35 million in private investment,” Phelps said. “Unfortunately, that project went to northwest Florida. And one of the key considerations of why they did not choose Gulf Shores was because northwest Florida offered a shovel-ready site. It had all the utilities, all the drainage worked out and specifically had the aircraft apron already in place.”

Gulf Shores is hoping to use the $2.3 million to turn an empty 10 acres at the airport into a concrete pad and all the preliminary infrastructure to attract one or more operators.

“The project consists of the construction of two aviation apron pads totaling approximately 121,500 square feet, along with associated airside site preparation at Gulf Shores International Airport,” Phelps said in a memo. “The apron pads will be designed to support mid-scale MRO aviation operations, including aircraft staging, access for ground support equipment and direct connections to future hangar facilities.”

The resulting pads could be used by two or three smaller operators using about 40,000 square feet each or one large one of about 120,000.

“The project will reduce upfront development costs for prospective MRO operators and eliminate timeline impediments associated with site preparation," Phelps said.

The deadline for the grant application is April 3, and the awards will be announced in the third quarter of 2026.