GULF SHORES, Ala. Commercial airlines could be using Jack Edwards Airport in Gulf Shores within five years if a private engineering firm's recommendations are approved.

The airport now provides service only for private air travel. According to consultants, nearly 38 (m) million dollars in construction projects have been proposed in a report the city commissioned to determine the area's aviation needs by 2025.

The first stage of the plan includes a 32-thousand-square-foot commuter terminal with waiting areas as well as ticketing and baggage services accommodating commercial flights. The projects would be completed in three-stages over the next 20-years.

According to the report, about 80-thousand flights were recorded at the airport last year -- a figure that could double by 2025.

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