and furniture, to paint and equipment. Another major milestone was the return of TSA security screening after a 15 year absence, opening the door for new opportunities.“That allowed us to start jet service from Jackson to Atlanta and Jackson to Chicago,” Smith details. “We’ve been without jet service since before 9/11, so to bring jet service back in a larger airplane, that really helped us last year to become airport of the year.” He notes that the flights, operated by Denver Air Connection using Embraer 145 regional jets, have performed above expectations since launching in December. REBRANDING AS A REGIONAL HUB Owned by both the city of Jackson and Madison County, the airport has been working diligently to align its image with its growing role in West Tennessee’s economic development. In early 2024, the airport formally changed its name from McKellarSipes Regional Airport to Jackson Regional Airport. “We reached out last year to 23 different counties and municipalities in the West Tennessee area and all of them are feeling the impact of the industrial growth that’s going on with BlueOval city,” Smith imparts. In addition, Jackson has seen investment from Georgia-Pacific, who have opened a Dixie Brand tableware manufacturing facility in the city. The community is also home to a Toyota plant and an automotive battery facility is currently under construction. “So, all of that had a lot to do with what we focused on last year, which was to upgrade the air service,” he asserts. To accommodate its growth, Jackson Regional Airport is currently in the design phase of a new passenger terminal, supported by a $1 million BIL grant. “We went to the state of Tennessee with everything that was going on and asked them if they would buy into our project, too,” Smith outlines. It was recently announced that Governor Bill Lee’s most recent budget includes an additional $10 million in funding for hangar infrastructure and 40 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 05, ISSUE 02
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