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The Birmingham Airport’s commitment to their neighbors and community reflects its overall commitment to service - service to their customers, service to their airlines and tenants, and most importantly, service to the people of their community.

It is in the spirit of this commitment that they strive daily to be good neighbors and a friend to our community. As the demand for air service and daily flights in and out of Birmingham continues to increase, the Airport Authority works tirelessly to achieve the growth and expansion necessary to serve the Birmingham Region and the State of Alabama, while making responsible choices regarding those areas immediately surrounding the facility.

In the past three years alone, the Airport Authority has worked with elected officials to receive over $45 million in federal grants – a large portion of which are earmarked for the purchase of homes adversely impacted by Airport noise and growth. Through the FAR Part 150 Program, the Authority has been able to purchase more than 1,000 homes, and in most cases, pay the moving and closing cost expenses necessary for residents to purchase their next home. Future FAR 150 acquisitions have been outlined and will continue through the year 2016. The Authority meets with its neighbors on a regular basis to discuss issues of property, planning, expansion or other neighborhood issues. Recently, the Airport Authority expanded its hardship policy to accelerate the purchase of those residents in greater need due to age or medical condition.

As various expansion and development projects have taken shape through the years, the impact such projects may pose on the areas surrounding the airport is a top priority. Each project must have a full Environmental Assessment completed before work can begin. Each assessment gathers facts on issues such as noise, storm water runoff and drainage and neighborhood accessibility. It is these assessments that have brought about the establishment of new floodwater systems in recent years. The Airport Authority has invested millions of dollars on drainage systems and retention ponds to hold storm water during periods of severe rain and lessen its impact on city drainage systems such as Village Creek. The true test of the systems came in September of 2004 when Hurricane Ivan dumped nearly 10 inches of rain on Birmingham in a four-hour period. These new systems, including a $3 million water pump station, drastically reduced the amount of flooding in areas surrounding the airport as well as on the airport facility itself, allowing the airport to keep their operations going through most of the inclement weather, and their neighbors safe and dry.

In addition to serving their community through responsible and measured growth, the Airport Authority understands that the true heart of any community is its people, and most importantly, its children. It is in this spirit that the Authority continues to put great emphasis on service to neighborhood schools. The Authority’s Adopt-A-School program enables them to assist and support the educational curriculum and extra-circular activities at several area schools. Throughout the school year, BAA volunteers assist with various school functions and activities, such as reading to a class or helping with Field Day. As well, the Birmingham Airport Authority is a Newspaper in Education Benefactor, sending nearly 30,000 copies of the Birmingham News to classrooms each year for educational use. The Annual Golf for Schools tournament is held in the fall to raise money for the purchase of needed educational resources that may not otherwise be funded. The 2004 tournament was the most successful ever, yielding more than $12,000, for a total of nearly $32,000 raised and distributed by the BAA since the program’s inception in 2002.

While these are just a few of the ways that the Birmingham Airport Authority reaches out to its friends and neighbors, the Authority is grateful for its strong relationship with the people of their community. Whether its getting the businessperson to a meeting on the other side of the nation, or grandma home for holidays, The Birmingham International Airport is dedicated to making a difference in the communities and the lives of the people of Alabama. To them, it’s not just about landing planes, but helping people take off.

For more information on the Birmingham International Airport, or to contact someone at the Authority, please log on to:
www.flybirmingham.com.