History has a way of repeating itself. Case in point: Talks about relocating Naples Airport have been flying around since the 1970s. 

“It would get discussed and discounted, and then over 10 years later, it would come back up again,” said Zachary Burch, senior communications and community engagement manager at Naples Airport Authority. 

The conversation has taken off once more, with neighbors citing concern over noise and air pollution, and talks with the public, city council members and more occurring. 

Since history also has a way of getting buried as big decisions hang in the balance, we explored Naples Airport’s 81-year-old roots and community roles to determine how a potential move might affect its operation. 

Naples Airport, then named Naples Airdrome, launched as a flight training site in 1943 for military aviators amid the tumult of World War II. It still serves as a setting for student pilots, with flight schools Naples Air Center and Rexair Flight Training on-site. 

“Flight training is an important part of what goes on here that harkens back to our beginning,” Burch says. 

Naples Airport Authority, established in 1969 under the city of Naples Airport Authority Act, gained control of the airport under a 99-year lease. Over the years, NAA has invested in noise-abatement efforts, with regular Noise Compatibility Committee meetings open to the public and Naples Airport Noise Reports offered on the Naples Airport website.  

There is still pushback. The Naples Press included in an Aug. 23 report a Naples resident’s health-based concern over flight schools using leaded fuel and the suggestion that they switch to flight simulators for less noise. By law, Naples Airport Authority cannot legally swap flight training for simulators. 

Even if that were a possibility, however, there are more types of flights soaring through the skies from the airport than those led by airborne apprentices.

Dubbed the 13th busiest private aviation airport in the U.S. by globalair.com, Naples Airport is a popular location for business and leisure travelers using general aviation services, accounting for most of the location’s traffic. It served more than 200,000 passengers in fiscal year 2023. 

“It’s used quite a bit—certainly by many of our residents,” Burch said. “We’ve done passenger surveys, and more than 80% of our passengers were either residents or coming here to purchase homes.” 

It is also a place for government services to fly out of, including Collier Mosquito Control District, Collier County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit and Collier County EMS. 

“These are all the agencies you never want to see, but when you need them, you’ll be glad they’re there,” Burch said. “Having a convenient location to launch their operations from is a tremendous benefit to both the city and county.” 

What hasn’t come out of Naples Airport for years are commercial flights, even though it has a commercial service license and occasionally offered airline service between the 1960s and 2000s, according to Burch. 

“As it stands currently, that’s not likely to return,” Burch said. “The main reason for that is our 75,000-pound weight limit, primarily due to our runways, which are asphalt. The weight limit helps to preserve the life of those.” 

That could change if the airport is relocated to one of the four potential sites in eastern Collier County that California-based Environmental Science Associates discovered when hired for an exploratory study reported on in the May 31 and Aug. 23 issues. Being farther out may reduce noise complaints, too. However, Collier County keeps developing, and Burch points out that the airport’s surrounding area was once little more than swampland. 

“When this airport was built, it was out in the swamp. No one could have imagined that anyone would live east of the Gordon River. Obviously, that has changed in the last 80 years,” Burch said. “We’re essentially completely surrounded by residential development, with the exception of the industrial parts in the northeast of us.” As a result, “noise is a challenge that we work exceptionally hard on every day.” 

The cost of moving the airport could be anywhere from $790 million to $1.2 billion, Burch estimated, mentioning factors such as closing, demolishing and decommissioning an airport to build a new one. 

“The term ‘relocation’ is a bit of a misnomer. We are not able to relocate the existing airport to a new site. This would entail building a completely new airport on a new site and decommissioning the existing airport,” Burch said. “We also have leases with tenants here. We would have to buy our tenants’ leases out or build them new facilities.”

Those tenants include non-aviation public services such as Humane Society of Naples.

Also onsite is City Fire Station #3, which Naples Airport Authority paid to have constructed and funds equipment, salary and benefits for the firefighters at nearly $1 million annually, according to its website. 

“If you think about where the city’s other fire stations are, they’re on the other side of the river, where the bulk of the city’s population lives, but the neighborhoods around us occasionally need firefighting or rescue services,” Burch said. “If you’re having a heart attack or stroke and our firefighters are able to respond within a minute or two, and it may take another station five to 15 minutes to get there, it very really could be the difference between life and death or long-standing injuries and a more sustainable recovery.” 

As a financially self-sustaining entity, NAA generates revenue primarily through hangar rent and fuel sales, according to its website. It pays the city of Naples a rent of $1 per year for the Naples Airport through 2068. It generates about $781 million annual economic impact, according to a 2022 Florida Department of Transportation report. 

While a potential move would take considerable time, Burch said the entity wants to work with the community along the way. 

“Our board, as well as the city and county, are going to have to weigh in on whether the cost is worth it to potentially continue to look at this, or if we need to look at what we can and will potentially do at our existing airport.”