History

The airport opened as Lafayette Municipal Airport on 29 November 1930. On 5 July 1942, during World War II, the airport was commandeered by the United States Army Air Forces

United States Army Air Forces

The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 and used as a contract primary pilot training airfield under the AAF Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The 384th Army Air Force Base Unit administered the contract to a civilian-operated primary flying school (Lafayette School of Aeronautics) as a sub-base of DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana. Had four axillary airfields nearby for emergency and overflow landings. Flying training was performed with Fairchild PT-19

Fairchild PT-19

|-See also:-Bibliography:* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....

s as the primary trainer. Also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks assigned.

The air field was transferred from the DeRidder AAB to Esler Army Airfield (Third Air Force

Third Air Force

The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

) on 24 March 1944. The mission of base became training of replacement combat aircrews. On 30 September 1945, the air field was inactivated and returned to civil control.

In 1948, Eastern Airlines began the first regularly-scheduled passenger service to the airport.

Future

Lafayette Regional Airport is in the process of building a new cargo terminal on the southwest side of the airfield, near the formerly known Petroleum Helicopters International headquarters. It will be approximately 22,500 square feet. Construction is planned to begin in September 2010. It will provide parking for up to 5 Boeing 757

Boeing 757

The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...

 aircraft on its apron. It will join to existing taxiways that connect to runways 4R/22L. The relocation of the cargo ramp will give cargo carriers such as UPS

United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...

, FedEx

FedEx

FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...

, and DHL

DHL

DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....

 direct access to US Highway 90 (future I-49 corridor).
The old cargo ramp will create more room for a planned main terminal

Airport terminal

An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....

 building extension. A preliminary study has begun on the existing terminal building in planning for future growth and construction. Adding an extension to the terminal would allow Lafayette Regional Airport to handle more air traffic, which could entice international carriers to use it as a connecting airport. This would require a customs

Customs

Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...

department, stationed at the airport, which would bring Lafayette Regional Airport to an 'international airport' status.