Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport , nicknamed Airport City, is a public airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located in unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 Jones County

Jones County, Mississippi

-History:Jones County, formed out parts of Covington and Wayne counties, was established on January 24, 1826 and was named for John Paul Jones. There are other counties named Jones, but it appears that this is the only one named for John Paul Jones...

, Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, near Moselle

Moselle, Mississippi

Moselle is an unincorporated community in southern Jones County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along U.S. Highway 11, north of Eastabuchie and southwest of Laurel...

, and approximately 10 miles north of Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...

 and 23 miles southwest of Laurel

Laurel, Mississippi

Laurel is a city located in Jones County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,393 although a significant population increase has been reported following Hurricane Katrina. Located in southeast Mississippi, southeast of...

. The airport covers 1170 acres (473 ha) and has one runway

Runway

According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...

. It is mostly used for general aviation

General aviation

General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service

Essential Air Service

Essential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...

 program. Thomas Heanue is the current Manager of KPIB.
The airport's IATA code (PIB) refers to its former name, Pine Belt Regional Airport.

Hattiesburg is halfway between Mississippi's two major airports--Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport

Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport

-Hurricane Katrina:The airport was closed for repairs following severe damage by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. On September 8, 2005, the airport reopened for commercial flights on Northwest Airlines to Memphis and other airlines quickly followed suit. On February 1, 2006, Gulfport-Biloxi...

 and Jackson-Evers International Airport

Jackson-Evers International Airport

Jackson-Evers International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located in Jackson, Mississippi, five nautical miles east of the central business district of Jackson, across the Pearl River....

. The three cities are linked by the four-lane U.S. Highway 49

Airlines and Destinations

Airline	Destination	Aircraft
Delta Connection Delta Connection Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc... operated by Pinnacle	Memphis	CRJ -200

IAPs - Instrument Approach Procedures

• ILS OR LOC RWY 18
• RNAV (GPS) RWY 18
• RNAV (GPS) RWY 36
• VOR-A

Airport Services

Fuel available: 100 A

Airframe Repair: MINOR

Power Plant Repair: MINOR

Non-scheduled and Charter Service

With its close proximity to the university of Southern Mississippi, the airport sees a great deal of larger charter airliners like the A320 and B737 transporting teams to and from athletic events .