Located midway between the Northeastern Mississippi cities of Columbus, Starkville, and West Point lies the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. Named after the region it serves consisting of these cities and their surrounding areas as well as a portion of Northwestern Alabama, GTRA is a public use airport used by both general and military aviation as well as charter aircraft.
Golden Triangle Regional Airport is owned by the Golden Triangle Regional Authority and is categorized by the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems as a primary commercial service airport. It is the third busiest commercial airport in Mississippi.
Since its opening in 1971, visions for the future of the airport have grown exponentially. In 2003, a $1.6M air traffic control tower was built and is currently manned under the FAA’s Contract Tower Program. During the same year, the runway was repaved and strengthened to take commercial aircraft up to a Boeing 757. Two additional parking ramps were also built and two existing ramps were rehabilitated. The airport now serves as the main airport for college sports teams visiting the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The airport is also the nucleus of a new industrial complex that includes companies such as American Eurocopter, a steel mini-mill by Severstal, and a truck engine manufacturing facility for PACCAR, the parent company of Peterbilt and Kenworth. Two aerospace companies, Aurora Flight Sciences and Stark Aerospace, also operate facilities on the airport property. Additionally, there are two mega sites adjacent to the airport that are certified under the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Certified Megasite Program.
Currently, GTRA offers flight service to Memphis via Mesaba Airlines, a Delta connection carrier, and supplements Southeast Airlines services to Atlanta. In 2019, the airport added a fourth flight to Atlanta scheduled for early afternoon. AvFlight is the primary Fixed Base Operator (FBO) providing fuel, parking, catering, and other amenities including military contract fuel.
In addition to growing into a busy commercial airport and industrial complex, Golden Triangle Regional Airport is now also an FAA Part 141 flight school teaching accessible aviation flight instruction in single and muli-craft engines.
Learn more about Golden Triangle Regional Airport including how to book a flight here.
