Marion County looking to revitalize its 70-year-old airport

MARION COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Marion County leaders are spearheading efforts to revive their airport.

To help spread the word, the Marion County-Rankin Fite Airport is having Airport Day on October 3. It starts at 9:30 a.m.

At one time, the airport had the longest runway in the state and it is celebrating its 70th birthday this year.

Airport manager Renee Mims said the end game is to revitalize the airport where it becomes a healthy contributor to the local economy.

“We’re really excited! We’re going to have some fly-ins. We have some fly-ins and they’re gonna come fly in and we’ll get to see planes coming and going, and some might just do touchdowns, some might actually taxi in, come around and fuel up, so we’ll see them on the apron,” said Mims.

Admission is free and the festivities will include a car, truck and big rig show.

Mims said there was a time when military pilots from nearby Columbus Air Force Base practiced touch-and-go maneuvers at the airport.

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