Jack Edwards Airport

Gulf Shores International Airport/Jack Edwards Field^[1] (IATA: GUF, ICAO: KJKA, FAA LID: JKA) is a public use airport in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.^[1] It is owned by Gulf Shores Airport Authority and located two nautical miles (4 km) north of the City of Gulf Shores.^[1] Also known as Jack Edwards National Airport,^[2] it is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.^[3]

Gulf Shores International Airport/Jack Edwards Field
NAIP aerial image, 2006
IATA: GUF ICAO: KJKA FAA LID: JKA
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Gulf Shores Airport Authority
Serves	Gulf Shores, Alabama
Elevation AMSL	17 ft / 5 m
Coordinates	30°17′23″N 087°40′18″W
Website	www.jka.us.com
Map
JKA Location of airport in Alabama Show map of Alabama JKA JKA (the United States) Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 9/27 6,962 2,122 Asphalt 17/35 3,596 1,096 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Aircraft operations (year ending 1/31) 61,372 Based aircraft 116
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

This airport is assigned a three-letter location identifier of JKA by the Federal Aviation Administration, but the International Air Transport Association (IATA) airport code is GUF. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) airport code is KJKA.^[1][4][5]

History

Jack Edwards Airport was originally an outlying field (Canal Field) for Naval Air Station Pensacola. The U.S. Navy sold it to the state of Alabama in 1977 and the new airport was named for U.S. Rep. Jack Edwards. In 1983 the state sold the airport to the city of Gulf Shores. A new terminal was built in 1998 and a runway extension was completed in 2003.^[2]

In 2024, ground was broken on a new passenger terminal capable of handling 100+ seat narrowbody jets. Allegiant Air began service to Jack Edwards Airport on May 22, 2025, bringing commercial air service to the airport for the first time in 12 years.

Facilities and aircraft

Jack Edwards Airport covers an area of 838 acres (339 ha) at an elevation of 17 feet (5 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways with asphalt surfaces: 9/27 is 6,962 by 100 feet (2,122 x 30 m) and 17/35 is 3,596 by 75 feet (1,096 x 23 m).^[1]

For the 12-month period ending January 31, 2023, the airport had 61,372 aircraft operations, an average of 168 per day: 91% general aviation, 7% military, 2% air taxi, and <1% commercial. At that time there were 116 aircraft based at this airport: 86 single-engine, 12 multi-engine, 10 jet, 1 helicopter, and 7 ultralights.^[1]

Southern Airways Express previously served the airport, beginning in June 2013,^[6] but later ceased operations to a number of airports including Jack Edwards due to cost considerations.^[7]

Airlines and Destinations

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Allegiant Air	Appleton (begins October 2, 2025),[8] Belleville/St. Louis,[9] Cincinnati,[9] Des Moines (begins October 3, 2025),[8] Fayetteville/Bentonville,[9] Houston–Hobby,[9] Kansas City,[9] Knoxville,[9] Nashville (begins November 21, 2025)[10]	[11]

Destinations map
Gulf Shores Houston–Hobby Kansas City Belleville/St. Louis Cincinnati NW Arkansas Knoxville Des Moines Appleton Nashville Destinations from Jack Edwards Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination Pink = Destination being terminated

See also

• List of airports in Alabama