Chennault International Airport Executive Director Kevin Melton talks with the Lt. Col. Cody 'Viking' Clark next to an F-15C Eagle with the 159th Fighter Wing out of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans on Tuesday. The 159th participated in a joint exercise with the 2nd Bomb Wing out of Barksdale Air Force Base. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)

It is going to take synergized collaboration between the five parishes of Southwest Louisiana to thrive economically.

That’s what Chennault International Airport Executive Director Kevin Melton said during his keynote address at the West Calcasieu Chamber of Commerce’s monthly business luncheon on Thursday. He spoke on the importance of business relationships for economic development and how Southwest Louisiana needs to nurture those connections.

“The one thing that I think we need to do a lot better of is work together,” he said. “In the five-parish area, when I got here, we were very stove-piped. Everybody has their own agenda, they do their own thing, and we don’t work collaboratively together.”

With a focus on strategic plans where everyone works together, Southwest Louisiana can “start making ourselves known,” he said.

Chennault was re-established in 1986 to serve as an economic driver and job creation hub. The airport creates 2,805 direct and indirect jobs and has a $240.8 million annual economic impact, according to data from a DOTD 2022 Louisiana Airports Economic Study that Melton presented.

Out of the 68 airports in Louisiana, Chennault ranks sixth in overall economic driving airport, second in total payroll and first in general aviation economic driver. These rankings are the outcome of the airport’s focus on collaboration, he said.

Twelve businesses are tenants at Chennault Park. Many of these businesses are in the aviation sector, such as Citadel Completions and Landlocked Aviation Services. But Chennault Park is also home to utility companies like Jeff Davis Electric Cooperative and government offices like Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries. The businesses that lease space at Chennault help “support the mission as a whole,” he noted.

Multi-agency growth at Chennault is currently in motion. In October 2024, the multi-million-dollar Louisiana National Guard Readiness Center, a facility that houses soldiers who train there, opened on Sen. J Bennett Johnston Avenue.

The Louisiana National Guard is also developing an 11,000-plus square-foot, $8 million heavy truck maintenance facility, Melton said.

In March, Sowela Technical Community College got the final green light to build a $5.5 million Flight Training School at Chennault. Students will receive comprehensive training that will put them on the path to receive a Private Pilot’s License or commercial flight training. This school has been a seven-year goal of Melton’s, and construction should begin by the first quarter of 2026, he said.

Funding and Growth

Chennault is a 2,000-acre property. Melton and his team are looking to develop 800 to 900 of those acres. While he has big plans for Chennault and the surrounding area, the airport would not be able to maintain its operations, let alone expand them, with expensive infrastructure improvements, he said.

“Without the infrastructure, you cannot continue your operations. You cannot maintain your operating, nor can you grow.”

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, Chennault made $25,212,968 in infrastructure capital investments. Notably, the new 1-210 corridor entry sign, which cost $150,000, was one of these investments.

With investment comes a need for funding, but despite Chennault’s economic impact, compared to other airports in Louisiana, it receives the least amount of federal funding, resulting in a reliance on millages to operate, he said.

Chennault has received $315,000 in federal funding, compared to airports like Lafayette, which received $5.1 million, and Lake Charles regional, which received $19 million, Melton said.

“We’re a top producer from an economic perspective, but look at what Chennault got,” he said. “That math doesn’t equate.”

Melton highlighted the development plan for “Site 1,” a lot where the Mallard Cove Golf Course used to be. The cost of the infrastructural improvements, which include a topographical survey, a drainage study and roadway design, totals about $18.1 million. That price tag is just five years of infrastructural prep work.

While Chennault relies on tax dollars to operate and grow, Melton wants to funnel that money back into the community.

He wants to do that by building up the I-10 corridor. His vision for the area includes grocers, coffee spots and retail shops along Sen. J Bennett Johnston Ave, paired with clean aesthetics and well-maintained properties, he said.

“It may take a little bit of time, but we’re hopefully going to do some good things.”