Smyrna Airport celebrates record 100,000 operations in 2018

Smyrna Airport had a lofty celebration Thursday with an airplane cake and a sparking grape juice toast to mark a milestone.

In 2018, Smyrna Airport exceeded 100,000 operations in one year — an all-time record that represents a 25 percent increase over 2017, said Smyrna Airport Authority Director John Black.

"Operations are counted in takeoffs and landings. So a takeoff equals one, a landing two," said Black, explaining the calculation.

That growth contributes nearly $100 million locally and generates over 5,000 jobs, either directly or indirectly, making the airport a "major economic engine for the region," he said.

Growing economic base.

"When companies are considering locating in our community, many times the airport is their first experience during that initial visit. We work together with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and the state to assist in efforts to grow the economic base," Black said.

Black said he attributes the airport's success to a variety of factors, "which include our strategic location in the eastern United States, the size of the airport and runways — we can land anything up to and including a Boeing 747."

Top of the list is customer service, he added, which comes down to a group of dedicated employees.

Smyrna Airport has seen a wide mix of aircraft, including large commercial operations, charter, cargo, military, airships and private planes.

With the increased traffic, Smyrna Airport is moving forward with growth in mind.

"We are currently undergoing a master plan update for the airport, which we do every 10 years," Black said. "Within that process we are evaluating not only the highest and best use of the airport, but also the environmental and sustainability efforts and evaluating our business model within that next planning horizon."

-Daily News Journal

Reach Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com and follow her on Twitter @NanDeGennaro.