Not likely, according to Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, who recently appeared on 'Mornings With Wally & the Colonel' on Catfish 100.1.

The Tuscaloosa City Council approved a contract last year with Sixel Consultants Group to help lure a passenger airline. The contract also calls for the consultants to advise on upgrades to existing facilities, according to The Tuscaloosa News.

Because Tuscaloosa is only about 45-50 minutes from the Birmingham Airport, it is unlikely an airline would choose to locate here without some subsidy, which the city could not afford, Mayor Maddox said.

The last scheduled airline service in Tuscaloosa was supplied by American Eagle, a regional partner of American Airlines. The service ended in 1997.

But, with an abundance of land owned by the city around and close to the airport, the mayor said there is opportunity for economic development around the airport, officially known as the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport.

 

Jimmy Adams contributed to this report. 

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