BY RICHARD BURGESS | rburgess@theadvocate.com
Richard Burgess, Mar 9, 2017 – 3:55 pm
The first passenger terminal at Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia was christened Thursday, an addition that airport officials hope will attract more on-demand and charter flights to the facility.
The airport doesn’t offer conventional commercial passenger flights but has for several years served a growing market for private services, mainly for the oil-and-gas industry.
“In 2013, we had a record year when we flew more than 3,000 passengers out of the airport,” said Airport Director Jason Devillier.
He said flights can range from a handful of passengers to more than a 100.
Before the new 1,800-square-foot terminal, the airport had been corralling passengers in a conference room and sealing off portions of the building and property to comply with Transportation Security Administration screening and security requirements.
“It was legal. It was TSA-approved. But it wasn’t pretty,” Devillier said.
He said the new terminal should greatly enhance the passenger experience and hopefully attract more business.