Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport
IATA: PIB - ICAO: KPIB
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Regional Airport Authority
Serves		Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Elevation AMSL		298 ft (90.8 m)
Coordinates		31°28′02″N, 89°20′13″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
18/36	6,501	1,982	Asphalt

Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport (IATA: PIB, ICAO: KPIB), whose nickname is Airport City, is a public airport located approximately 10 miles north of Hattiesburg and 23 miles southwest of Laurel in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The airport covers 1,170 acres and has one runway. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

The airport's code refers to the its former name, Pine Belt Regional Airport.

Commercial service may be unreliable at times. In 2003, a problem with a navigational aid caused several Northwest Airlink flight cancellations over a one week period. As a result, business representatives from several companies recruiting at nearby University of Southern Mississippi were unable to attend the career fair event put on by the university.

Hattiesburg is halfway between Mississippi's two major airports--Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and Jackson-Evers International Airport. The three cities are linked by the four-lane U.S. Highway 49, making Hattiesburg-Laurel nearly obsolete.