'International' is Tallahassee airport's first step to overseas flights

Local officials say an airport with an international designation will attract businesses and provide long term economic benefits, even if overseas commercial flights are still years in the making.

The switch from Tallahassee Regional to Tallahassee International Airport, a change approved by city commissioners two weeks ago, is just the first step in a process to become an airport with full international travel and shipping capabilities - as well as a multi-million dollar international gate and arrivals facility.

TLH Director of Aviation Chris Curry plans to have international flights lifting off within the next three to four years. But the long-term plan is not simply about providing cosmopolitan jet setters a jumping-off point as it is an attempt to make Tallahassee more attractive to businesses that need a convenient place to ship and receive cargo. Having international planes land in Tallahassee, refuel here and deliver and ship goods here will make the airport a conduit for Tallahassee's economy.

Currently, inbound international flights must land at another location so passengers can clear customs and shippers can have cargo inspected. The international designation would allow that all to happen in Tallahassee.

An international designation would be a boon for the local economy, some say. Without one, Tallahassee could be left behind, Curry warned.

"I think what the airport realized is that not only was it time," Curry said, "but the Tallahassee airport was at a disadvantage compared to other Florida commercial airports."

It sends a message to the global economy, Curry said, that Tallahassee is ready to go international.

"In this age of technology, most companies who are looking to reposition themselves, they find most of their information on the internet," he said. "If they're looking for an international airport, Tallahassee would not register with them at all."

The theory is that the cost savings of tariff-free shipping and the convenience of the airport and its four-to-five-mile drive north to I-10, makes Tallahassee an ideal transportation hub. The airport also has 1,000 acres of land , including more than 550 acres directly adjacent to the runways, for commercial development.

Curry hopes to attract businesses by designating part of that land as foreign trade zones, which allow companies the ability to bring in international goods and not pay a tariff on them until they're sold.

TLH already handles about 9.5 million pounds of regional freight each year, more than any other Panhandle airport, Curry said. That number would go up with an international designation.

"That's a pretty significant amount of freight," said Kyle Touchstone, executive vice president of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee and Leon County. "We're going to see that number increase because we'll be able to have goods come directly here."

Where those companies would come from and where the international flights would go is still a matter of debate. Curry said burgeoning economies in Latin America are causing larger airlines to expand service, and studies show more demand for commercial and general aviation flights.

"We're well positioned to be a part of that because of where we're located," Curry said.

The airport averages about 176 flights per day, mostly general aviation flights, which includes private planes and local businesses with international needs. It brings in revenue by lease and space agreements it has with airlines, as well as landing fees and fuel charges among other sources of income. More flights, would equal more revenue, says Curry.

"The more traffic you get into the airport, the more services you can provide at a cost," Curry said.

City Commissioner Scott Maddox, who has made the airport a pet project, said the benefits to Tallahassee mostly lay in freight and general aviation.

"Our goal is to get as much cargo to traffic as we can get, " he said.

He hopes the international designation will make it easier for local businesses doing work overseas. As the airport grows, the added flights will drive down fares and open the airport to more destinations, he said.

Commercial flights, however, aren't on the menu quite yet, Maddox said.

A study presented to the city commission in June found an international designation could generate between 10,000 and 20,000 passengers flying out of TLH annually within the first five years. In 2014, 352,000 people flew out of TLH.

"We want people to understand they're not going to be able to get a direct flight to Paris directly after this destination," Maddox said. "As we continue to grow, we hope to have international flights... on a commercial level but we're a ways away from that."

Before the international flights can start, the airport needs a space for passengers and cargo to be inspected. The design phase of an estimated $3.5 million International Arrivals Facility has already begun, Curry said. It would include a separate gate for international flights and a place where cargo can be inspected by Customs and Border Protection workers.

It would be paid for with the $8.6 million set aside for the airport in the Blueprint 2020 plan, Curry said. Curry expects to request the Florida Department of Transportation to pay for half the cost of the build in order to save local money.

Once the facility is built, the airport would need to enter a User Fee agreement with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office. User Fee airports allow international operations, but the airport must reimburse CBP for the cost of its federal workers. Once the airport reaches a certain CBP threshold of international flights or travelers, the airport would then qualify to be a Point of Entry airport and the federal government would fully take over Customs operations.

Becoming a full-fledged POE airport could take a decade, Curry said.

Touchstone contends that Tallahassee is primed to be a transportation haven with blossoming research, manufacturing and logistics sectors.

"When you start looking at transportation, we really are a hub," he said. "Those goods and services have to come in somehow and they have to go out somehow... having that international designation is key."

Curry said there have been meetings with businesses and airlines who may take advantage of a Tallahassee International Airport. He expects to unveil a new airport sign with the changed name in an April ceremony.

"This is one more sign that we're growing as a city," Maddox said. "We want the airport to grow with it."