Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Towards the end of the nineties, the Panama City-Bay County Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) began searching for ways to increase the air service in the Panama City area. The old airport, built in 1932, did not have enough room to expand. Some ideas included taking the current airport property and extending the current short runways out into St. Andrews Bay or possibly into residential neighborhoods, moving the airport to a new site, or collocation with Tyndall AFB. Many were strongly against extending the runways into an environmentally sensitive bay or into residential areas, so the airport authority began to search for sites to relocate to. In 2001, the authority received tentative approval to build a new airport in northwestern Bay County, and then from 2005–2007 the authority secured the necessary permits. The county commission chose to go ahead with the construction of a new airport and shutting down Fannin Field. Construction was completed in May 2010, however the planned crosswind runway was never built.

Located in Bay County, 18 miles northwest of Panama City, Florida, north of Panama City Beach, near West Bay. 

● The airport authority was originally going to name it Northwest Florida-Panama City International Airport, but many asked that the name be more regional. 

● On May 23, 2010, the airport opened for commercial flights, and it is the first international airport in the United States designed and built since the tragic events of September 11th. 

● The 4,000-acre airport sits at an elevation of 68 feet.