History
The land that is now Jackson-Evers International Airport was first dedicated in 1963 as a new commercial and military air facility to replace Hawkins Field, which had served as Jackson's first airport and been operating since 1928. Delta Air Lines's inaugural flight, from Dallas Love Field, landed at Hawkins Field in 1929. The new 1963 facility was named Allen C. Thompson Field (after the Mayor of Jackson at the time, who was instrumental in obtaining the land for the airfield), which remains the name for the land on which the airport is built. The airport was designated "Jackson Municipal Airport."
In the early 1990s, the airport's name was changed to "Jackson International Airport," to reflect the fact that it has the facilities to serve international flights, even though the airport does not currently do so. The airport does contain an office for U.S. Customs to service international arrivals and has established a Foreign Trade Zone.
Recent improvements to the facilities include a new covered garage for long-term parking. In 1997 Southwest Airlines began service to Jackson from Chicago, Baltimore, Houston, and Orlando. Currently, the airport services approximately 247 aircraft per day. Following a decision made by the Jackson City Council in December 2004, on 22 January 2005 the airport name was officially changed to Jackson-Evers International Airport. In 2006, the airport authority received a federal grant (Small Community Air Service Development) to recruit non-stop flight service to Newark to provide Jackson with non-stop service to the New York City metropolitan area. Continental Airlines commenced service from Jackson to Newark on September 25, 2007; however, due to high fuel costs, the route was terminated in the summer of 2008. American Airlines non-stop service between O'Hare and Jackson-Evers was also recently halted.
The 172d Airlift Wing (172 AW) of the Mississippi Air National Guard has also maintained an Air National Guard base on the airport since 1963, having relocated that year from nearby Hawkins Field. The 172 AW previously operated the C-119 Flying Boxcar, C-124 Globemaster, C-130 Hercules, C-141 Starlifter and currently flies the C-17 Globemaster III.
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