History
Alexandria International Airport (AEX) traces its beginnings back to 1939 when it served as an emergency airstrip for Esler Regional Airport, which was about 10 miles northeast of what would become Alexandria International. However, on the eve of World War II, the air strip was taken over by the Department of Defense and named Alexandria Army Air Base. The airbase was used for training pilots and aircrews of fighter and bomber airplanes of the Army Air Force.
On June 23, 1955, Alexandria Army Air Base was renamed England Air Force Base in honor of Lieutenant Colonel John Brooke England, who died on November 17th 1954. John England was the commander of the 389th Bomber Squadron stationed at the base. Lt. Col. John England died while attempting to land in dense fog in France. During his approach, he ran out of fuel and sacrificed himself by steering away from a barracks and into a nearby field, where he crashed and died.
At the end of the Cold War, the United States Department of Defense wanted to close many of its military bases including England Air Force Base. The city of Alexandria feared that the economic impact of the airfield closing would devastate the economy, so the city of Alexandria created the England Economic and Industrial Development District (England Authority) to take over the base for the purpose of creating a major air transport resource for the region and the state.
After the application by the England Authority and the recommendation from the FAA, the Department of Defense granted all airside and landside areas to the England Authority. In August of 1993, Alexandria International Airport opened for service. And on August of 1996, Alexandria International began commercial air service with flights between Houston, Dallas, Memphis, and Atlanta.
Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Alexandria International Airport has played an important role in moving thousands of military personnel and millions of pounds of cargo in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States military, under a commercial lease with the England Authority, invested nearly $60 million in airfield facilities including the hazardous cargo loading/unloading aprons, a military passenger processing facility, Military Air Cargo Apron and resurfacing Runway 18. Alexandria International Airport also played an important role in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita cleanup efforts. The Airport was designated by the Louisiana Department of Transportation as a disaster relief staging and support area. The Airport served as a command center location to coordinate aircraft and supplies and provide a staging relief station for troops and workers.
In February of 2004, Air Force One landed at the airport with President George W. Bush on board. This Boeing 747-200B (U.S. Air Force aircraft designation VC-25A) is one of the largest aircraft to have ever visited AEX. President William(Bill) Clinton also landed here on Air Force 1 when he was president. However, the largest aircraft ever to have landed at the airport appears to be the Lockheed C-5 "Galaxy" military jet transport operated by the U.S. Air Force.
Read more about this topic: Alexandria International Airport (Louisiana)
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