Naples Airport has lasted 80 years at the same spot: What to know about the airfield

J. Kyle Foster, Naples Daily News
Updated ·4 min read

The Naples Airport Authority has hired a firm to study whether to relocate the airport.

If the airport moves one day, it will vacate a space that it has called home for 80 years when it began as a military airfield.

Here's a few things to know about Naples Airport.

How big is the airport?

Naples Airport covers one square mile in East Naples is just west of Airport-Pulling Road. Residential homes run all along North Road and along Davis Boulevard. The 140-acre Gordon River Greenway just north of the airport and 15-acre Baker Park just west.

The airport is home to 360 aircraft, with a significant increase during seasonal months. More than 100,000 takeoffs and landings were made at the airport last year and more than 200,000 passengers were served in 2022.

Who uses the Naples Airport?

Nearly 80 percent of passengers are homeowners in Naples and Collier County, according to a survey by the Airport Authority.

Also on site are flight schools; aircraft charter and sales; air ambulance, corporate aviation; Civil Air Patrol; and public services including Collier County MedFlight; Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF)/City of Naples Fire Station No. 3, Collier County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit and Collier Mosquito Control District. U.S. Customs and Border Protection services provide are provided for international access to Naples.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Marshfield Municipal Airport on Friday, Oct. 13 for the installation of the state’s first-ever electric charging station for aircraft and ground vehicles. Those cutting the ribbon were, from left, MassDOT Aeronautics Administrator Jeff DeCarlo, Aid to State Rep. Josh Cutler Susan Moran, Marshfield Town Administrator Michael Maresco, state Senator Patrick O'Connor, Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy Naples, Geoff Douglass (who spearheaded the project for Shoreline), Shoreline Aviation President Keith Douglass, FAA Regional Administrator Colleen D'Alessandro, BETA Technologies COO Blain Newton, and South Shore Chamber of Commerce Director of Local Affairs Eric Dykeman.

Did you know Naples Airport receives no local tax dollars?

Revenue comes from hangar rents and fuel sales. All funds used for the airport’s operation, maintenance and improvements are generated from activities at the airport or federal and state grants from aviation-related user fees.

The economic impact of the Naples Airport in 2022 was $781 million. In 2010, that figure was $273.1 million.

Who is conducting the location study?

The Naples Airport Authority hired Environmental Science Associates as its consultant for the study. Subcontractors include Chicago-based aviation solutions consultant Ricondo and Bonita Springs- based Metro Forecasting Models, which focuses on forecasting population, housing, and commercial demand.

What prompted the study?

"In response to a variety of factors including concerns about noise, resilience, and regional growth,the Naples Airport Authority (NAA) identified the need to explore future options for the long-termaviation needs of the community" – objective listed by the Airport Authority.

Consultants will look at land in East Collier County as that is where the largest open space is in the county.

What are the study objectives?

  • Identify the long-term aviation needs.

  • Establish the general facility requirements.

  • Define key factors to take into consideration.

  • Identification of potential new airport sites.

Who will have a say?

  • Naples Airport Authority

  • Stakeholder Meetings – Collier County Planning, Collier Metropolitan Planning Organization, Landowners, Developers

  • Conservation Groups

  • Naples City Council

  • City Council Presentation (1 in-person)

  • Collier Board of County Commissioners

  • Public

When will the study be completed?

A timeline in the study agreement shows late February 2024 as a deadline for a revised study document.

Air Force 2 lands at Naples Municipal Airport on March 28, 2019.
Air Force 2 lands at Naples Municipal Airport on March 28, 2019.

What contractual obligations does the Naples Airport Authority have and until when?

The NAA currently has three existing sets of contractual obligations with various government agencies and customers:

State and federal obligations currently exist through 2042.

Contractual obligations with tenants through 2053.

Existing lease with the City of Naples through 2068.

1942 – Airport construction begins

Construction of the airport begins on land jointly purchased by the City of Naples and Collier County. The City and County lease the airport to the federal government during World War II.

1943 – The airfield

Naples Airport began operating as a military airfield as the Naples Airdrome (later the Naples Army Airfield), to train fighter pilots for service in WWII.

1948 – Fed hands over airport

U.S. Government returns the airport to Naples and Collier County, and it is dedicated as the Naples America Airport.

1957 – First commercial flight

Naples Airlines, owned and operated by Joseph Brown and John Van Arsdale Sr., made its first scheduled passenger flight from Naples to Miami. A round-trip ticket cost $28.90.

1958 – Naples buys out Collier

Naples purchases County’s interest to take complete ownership of the airport.

Looking ahead: Rezoning for homes near Naples Airport on Rock Creek heads to Collier County commissioners

1969 – State creates Airport Authority

The Florida State Legislature created the City of Naples Airport Authority as an independent government agency charged with the operation, development and improvement of Naples Airpo

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Things to know about the Naples Airport and the study about moving it