Airport Operations Management - Case Study Example

Dothan regional Airport is located in Dothan city which is one of the major cities in the U.S state of Alabama. This city derives its name from the bible; Genesis 37:17 " I heard them ,lets go to Dothan" and in most cases it is referred to as the ' The Circle City' due to its Rose Clarke Circle which encircles most parts of the city. According to the U.S Bureau of Statistics, the current population of the city is approximated to be 62, 713 in 2005. The area it covers is 224.8Km2 and it is located at 3113'38"N, 8524'26"W.

On February15th 1965, Dothan Regional Airport was opened to serve as a commercial transportation aviation facility in the State of Alabama. By then, it was considered one of the best facilities in the state and served as a useful aviation centre for the economic activities within the state. First of all, the initial construction (of Napier Field) was developed in 1941 as part of meeting the expanding needs for the U.S Army Air Corps who found the area useful for their operations. During the World War II, the personnel in this army made the project to train more staff to meet the demands of the war at that time.

This necessity gave it way for the construction process to begin. The field was named after one of the Army's flight surgeons, Major Edward L. Napier died in a plane crash in Ohio. Napier Field, as it was referred to later begin operating its major flights on October, 1941. The field also served as the training area for British cadets in the end of that year and also the Mexican army, P-40 group. Later on in the end of the Second World War, the army decided to deactivate the field which was to be reconstructed later as the Dothan Regional Airport.

Under an agreement signed in 1946 by the City of Houston and the Dothan City, the filed was to be improved and subsequently made available for the two cities. Since the field remained unused for a long period of time, most of its land was used by the Houston City authority for other purposes. From that time, the airport was transformed through the formation of Dothan Houston County Airport Authority to oversee the completion of its construction, equipment and operation. It thus continued to expand progressively and has continued to offer the citizens of Southern Alabama a first class centre for the commercial aviation industry.

The buildings in the airport houses companies such as Flight-line of Dothan, Pemco World Air Services, Alabama Jet Centre and Flight-safety International. Records available at the FAA offices indicate that the book value of the whole airport is approximately $14 million.Dothan Regional Airport OwnershipThe Dothan Regional Airport is publicly owned and is operated by the Dothan City-Houston County Airport Authority Inc. This authority consists of four members who are appointed to serve for four years each and consequently retire one per year for consistency in its operations.

The members are appointed by each of the following; Dale County Commission,