by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Having observed airport policies and practices for Super Bowls held in other cities, Jacksonville Airport Authority officials say they plan on taking full advantage of all four of the city’s airfields — Jacksonville International, Craig Municipal, Herlong and Cecil Field — in 2005 to help ease congestion.
“We’ve been in contact with the Super Bowl Host Committee and the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] for some time and a comprehensive plan that will address the increased air traffic coming to Jacksonville is already underway,” said Bob Simpson, JAA’s assistant director for general aviation. “Judging from what we’ve seen in other cities, we’ve come to the understanding that the Super Bowl is a very large corporate event.”
Simpson estimated nearly 650 corporate chartered flights will touch ground in Jacksonville before the game, and despite most not making arrangements until the teams are announced, he maintained that ample parking space won’t be a problem, though airport preference might prove somewhat challenging.
“Our goal is to get as much of an even distribution among the airports in the area as possible,” said Simpson. “Facilities in Fernandina and St. Augustine will be incorporated into our plans, too.”
Absorbing much of the anticipated corporate traffic will be Cecil Field, which Simpson said has most, if not all, of the services and facilities available to planes at JIA. As a security precaution, JIA will serve as the hub for all commercial flights into Jacksonville.
“Most importantly,” said Simpson, “Cecil Field has the runway space needed by aircrafts on the much larger end of the scale, which many corporations usually charter and load with clients. It’s also about the same distance from downtown as JIA so many of the those flights will be encouraged to go there.”
Simpson added that Craig and Herlong airports — their runways are roughly 1,000 feet shy of what is required for “insurance reasons” by larger planes — will be more of a “limited,” though viable, option.
Also currently in the works by JAA is an informational website, which Simpson hopes will answer many of the questions likely to be posed by corporate pilots in the months ahead.
“When it’s up, we hope we won’t have to send out a mailer or anything like that,” said Simpson. “We’ll likely put some helpful links on there, too.”
Simpson said JAA’s relatively early planning can be attributed to a number of reasons.
“We don’t have the corporate knowledge or as much normal traffic coming through our airports that other cities like San Diego do,” said Simpson. “They experience about three times as much as we do so it’s important for us to plan as far out as we can. It’s my understanding that this is really the first huge sporting event that Jacksonville has ever hosted and it’s anything but ho-hum for us.”