A crowd that gathered at the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport this month watched as a construction crew steered dozens of steel beams into place to shape what will be a new terminal.
A $5.2 million project that includes the terminal and new hangars is set to finish by the end of the year. The terminal will feature a pilots’ lounge stocked with coffee and snacks. The 8,200-square-foot space will also feature beds and a shower, said Seth Hatchell, executive director of the airport in Scotland County.
Hatchell said the existing terminal was built in 1975.
“It’s functional, it’s usable, but it’s just dated. It doesn’t really meet our needs,” he said. “The new terminal building is going to effectively double the size of this building and there’s room to expand.”
The Laurinburg-Maxton Airport also hopes to eventually expand one of its three runways to 8,500 feet, which would make it one of the longest runways in the state with the ability to handle larger aircraft.
Twenty pilots are on the airport’s waiting list to fly their own planes in and out of the airport, Hatchell said.
Other small airports across rural southeastern North Carolina are also undergoing revitalization projects in an effort to better serve an increasing number of customers and attract aviation businesses. While they don’t offer commercial flights from major airlines, small airports offer space to refuel and land cargo planes and store private aircraft.
Lumberton Regional Airport broke ground last year on a $10 million project to add 14 hangars and expand the second floor of the terminal by 2,800 feet, said airport director Gary Lewis.
The number of arrivals and departures at the airport surged from 5,000 in 2017 to 18,000 last year, according to Lewis.
The Columbus County Municipal Airport recently built a new terminal and parking lot and expanded its aircraft apron.
Former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper said in 2024 that Sovereign Aerospace would invest more than $4 million to open an aircraft manufacturing facility at the Curtis L. Brown Jr. airport in Bladen County.
Hatchell said he hopes the upgrades at Laurinburg-Maxton Airport will attract the attention of companies that could set up shop in a nearby business park. But the space is also meant to serve the community. Visitors gathered at the airport last year to watch the film “Top Gun: Maverick.” Hatchell said he hopes to create more opportunities to bring local residents together.
“Airports are more than just runways and buildings–they really are gateways to opportunities,” Mark Harris, a Republican Congressman who represents North Carolina’s 8th district, told the crowd at a ceremony at the airport last week. “We’re connecting families, supporting local businesses, and opening the door for economic growth that strengthens communities just like these.”
Fuel sales are key to the success of regional airports, said Dan Danieley, a representative for the North Carolina Airports Association and manager of the Burlington Alamance Regional Airport.
The market for aviation fuel is projected to increase as more planes are built and air travel increases, Daniely said. To meet the demand, more local airports across the state are expanding their infrastructure.
“It’s been a very slow, gradual process of growth until about 2020, and suddenly, wham-o, it took off like crazy,” he said. “All these little things we’ve been trying to do over the years have finally gotten us to the point where we can actually provide the services that we need. While it’s taking so long to build the infrastructure, that growth is in place.”
Local projects have been funded by federal and state funds. Congress passed the $1.2 trillion
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 that included $25 billion for airport and air traffic control infrastructure projects.
The Laurinburg-Maxton Airport got $1 million in federal money for its expansion. Lumberton Regional Airport got about $1.6 million.
Money from the state funded the Columbus County airport upgrades.
Lewis said he expects more businesses with aviation needs to come to the region. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina bought about 240 acres of land along Interstate 95 in Robeson County late last year that could eventually become the site of a casino and resort.
The project, which would likely create thousands of jobs, could spur population growth. Bladen and Columbus counties are already projected to see large influxes of new residents in the coming decades.
“Growth is common; you just have to be prepared for it, and whether you want it or not, it’s coming around,” Lewis said. “That’s my goal, to make sure that we’re prepared so we’re not rushing and trying to catch up. We should be ahead of the game before it happens.”
Scotland County lost a large economic driver last year when St. Andrews University abruptly closed amid major financial challenges. But it has long focused on attracting manufacturing jobs.
“In 10 years, you’re not going to know this region,” Robeson County Commissioner John Cummings said during the airport event last week. “There’s several economic drivers that’s going on now, investments being made into the Laurinburg area.”
Hatchell envisions the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport growing beyond the current expansion plans. He wants the airport to feature even more amenities, including lounging space for visitors and a playground for children.
“We’re excited for all that’s to come,” Hatchell said.