The board that oversees Mobile’s downtown airport voted unanimously this week to give the facility a new name, rebranding it as Mobile International Airport as part of a broader push to grow the site into a global gateway for the region.
The Mobile Airport Authority approved the change during a regular meeting, with board members and staff framing the new name as a reflection of where the airport is headed rather than just a cosmetic update. Authority President Chris Curry told board members the rebrand comes as the agency turns its attention to a September 2024 deadline to open a new terminal and parking garage at the site, located at the Brookley Aeroplex just south of downtown Mobile.
“Now, it’s what’s next,” Curry said of the effort, adding that the authority is “always working, always grinding” to hit that timeline.
Despite the new name, the airport’s three-letter identifier used by airlines and travelers worldwide, BFM, will not change. Curry said keeping the code tied to Brookley was a deliberate choice meant to preserve the site’s identity and history even as its ambitions grow. “We think it’s very important to make sure Brookley remained relevant,” he said.
Airport officials say the international designation is about more than symbolism. Once the new terminal is complete, the facility is expected to allow corporate travelers arriving from overseas to be processed directly in Mobile, rather than connecting through another U.S. airport first for customs and immigration screening. Curry said that capability could make Mobile a more attractive landing spot for international companies weighing investment in the region, potentially giving local economic development officials another selling point as they recruit overseas manufacturers and other businesses to south Alabama.
Board members also reviewed early design renderings for the new terminal and parking garage during the meeting. The plans call for a terminal that would open with five or six gates, with the design allowing for future expansion to as many as 12 gates as passenger demand grows.
The broader push to build a modern commercial terminal at the downtown site carries a price tag of roughly $250 million, with Mobile County and the city of Mobile already having committed a combined $45 million toward the project. Curry said the authority’s goal is to complete the terminal without taking on debt, if that proves possible, arguing that a debt-free build would let the authority offer airlines lower costs to operate at the airport.
“If we can build the terminal piece debt free, we can charge the airlines less, which means we can attract more competition and get better flights,” Curry said.
That competitive pricing strategy is aimed squarely at winning back passengers who currently drive past Mobile to fly out of Pensacola International Airport. Curry pointed to a study showing that about half of air travelers for whom Mobile is technically the closest airport still choose to fly out of a different facility, often citing better fares or more flight options elsewhere. Authority officials are betting that a new terminal, additional gates and more competitive airline pricing will be enough to reverse that trend and keep more local passengers flying out of Mobile.
The rebranding effort and the terminal project reflect a broader transformation underway at the Brookley site, which has served as home to Mobile’s commercial airline service since flights shifted there from Mobile Regional Airport. City and county leaders have pointed to the investment as a key piece of their long-term strategy to strengthen air service and support economic growth across the region.