Business View Magazine | June 2019

197 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JUNE 2019 THE LUMBERTON REGIONAL A I RPORT Regarding any nearby competition for GA traffic, Gammon says Lumberton competes with Elizabethtown Regional Airport, Harnett Regional Jetport, and the Columbus County Airport in Whiteville. “But we’re the only one that has a crosswind runway,” he notes. “And we have a 5,500-ft. runway and a 5,000-ft. runway. The only other airport that has that is Laurinburg-Maxton. Also, we’re right at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 74, and we’re within five miles of everything in town, whereas most of the other airports are, at least, ten or fifteen miles from their respective towns. And we have hotels available within walking distance of the Airport.” “Fayetteville Airport is the commercial airport that serves this area,” Gammon continues, “and it also serves a lot of businesses. However, on the highway, we’re only 27 miles away, and you can forego a lot of the fees if you come here, versus going to Fayetteville. You don’t have the problems of TSA access and large FBO pricing. So we have good access to the local area – either Fayetteville, Lumberton, even down to Florence, without the fees imposed at larger airports.” In conclusion, Gammon touts the Airport’s advantages to potential users: “For GA aircraft, we have facilities available; we have crosswind runways; it’s a good stop on the way north or south on the east coast. For businesses, we are open to new business opportunities; we’re looking to expand and we’re willing to work with business to provide them with whatever they may need to operate out of our Airport. If somebody is non- aeronautical and they need access to the Airport, our entire surrounding area is an industrial park. So, if they’re looking to build, if they’re looking to move into the area, we have the capability.”