Alexandria International Airport ( Louisiana ) Alexandria International Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles ( 5 mile , 7 km ) west of the central business district of Alexandria , in Rapides Parish , Louisiana , United States . The airport is operated by the England Authority , also known as the England Economic and Industrial Development District , an independent political subdivision of the State of Louisiana . Despite its name , the airport has no scheduled international flights nor scheduled flights to cities near transborder areas . However , charter flights for the U . S . military to international destinations have been conducted from the airfield with this activity including the transportation of U . S . troops to overseas locations . This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011 – 2015 , which categorized it as a " primary commercial service " airport . As per Federal Aviation Administration records , the airport had 142 , 223 passenger boardings ( enplanements ) in calendar year 2008 , 154 , 736 enplanements in 2009 , and 179 , 129 in 2010 . Prior to 1992 , the facility was known as England Air Force Base , which was a front - line United States Air Force base which was opened during World War II and was used during the Cold War . 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 17 , 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 was killed . 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 1993 , Alexandria International Airport opened for service . And on August 1996 , Alexandria International began to receive commercial airline passenger service with flights to and from Atlanta ( ATL ) , Dallas / Ft . Worth ( DFW ) , Houston ( IAH ) and Memphis ( MEM ) , although service to Memphis was subsequently discontinued . Alexandria had previously been served by commercial airline flights operated from Esler Airfield ( ESF ) located near Pineville , Louisiana . 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 storm recovery efforts following hurricanes Katrina and Rita . The airport was designated by the Louisiana Department of Transportation as a disaster relief staging and support area , and also served as a command center location for the coordination of aircraft and supplies as well as acting as a staging location for troops and workers who were involved in the recovery effort . In February 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 Bill Clinton also landed at the airfield on board Air Force One during his presidency . 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 . On November 4 , 2010 , the " Memphis Business Journal " reported that Delta Connection , which operates passenger feeder services via a codesharing agreement with Delta Air Lines with regional jets , had ceased service on the Alexandria - Memphis route due to poor performance . This route had previously been flown by Northwest Airlink when Northwest Airlines was operating a connecting hub in Memphis . Delta acquired the Memphis hub when its merger with Northwest was completed and has since consolidated many of the former Memphis routes to its larger Atlanta hub . Alexandria continues to be served on a nonstop basis to and from Atlanta by the Delta Connection . Facilities and aircraft . Alexandria International Airport covers an area of 2 , 284 acres ( 924 hectare ) at an elevation of 89 feet ( 27 m ) above mean sea level . It has two runways : 14 / 32 is 9 , 352 by 150 feet ( 2 , 850 x 46 m ) with a concrete surface ; 18 / 36 is 7 , 001 by 150 feet ( 2 , 134 x 46 m ) with an asphalt and concrete surface . For the 12 - month period ending December 31 , 2011 , the airport had 38 , 007 aircraft operations , an average of 104 per day : 40 % general aviation , 31 % military , 23 % air taxi , and 6 % scheduled commercial . There are 49 aircraft based at this airport : 63 % single - engine , 6 % multi - engine , 22 % jet , and 8 % helicopter . The James L . Meyer Terminal is named for the first chairman of the England Airpark Authority . James Meyer , a Rapides Parish native who died in 1998 , was a partner in the Alexandria - based civil engineering firm , Meyer , Meyer , LaCroix , and Hixson , and worked to establish the new airport . The terminal was dedicated in 2011 , with Meyer ' s widow , Joy Sumner Meyer ( 1933 - 2013 ) , speaking at the ceremony . Airlines and destinations . Three commercial airlines offer scheduled passenger service to non - stop destinations . All three airlines serving Alexandria operate either Canadair or Embraer regional jet aircraft . In addition to scheduled passenger airline services , the airport has also handled numerous charters performed by large , widebody passenger aircraft ( with an example being the McDonnell Douglas MD - 11 jetliner ) that were supporting military personnel transportation requirements . Governance . Alexandria International Airport is owned by the England Economic and Industrial Development District ( England Authority ) . Jon Grafton is the Executive Director of the England Authority and Scott Gammel is the Airport Manager . The England Authority has ten members of the Board of Commissioners . William Barron is the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners . Brady Baudin is the Vice Chairman and Bart Jones is the Secretary / Treasurer . The other members of the Board include : Richard Bushnell , Dennis Frazier , Curman Gains , Scott Linzay , Nacy Stich , and Charlie Weems . Noise mitigation program . Alexandria International Airport and the England Authority are implementing a Neighborhood Noise Mitigation Program , with funding from the Federal Aviation Administration ’ s Airport Improvement Program and the Louisiana Department of Transportation . The Neighborhood Noise Mitigation Program includes residential and other noise sensitive buildings in areas surrounding the Airport . The program was approved by the FAA on August 14 , 2007 , as part of AEX ’ s Airport Noise Compatibility Program . The Noise Compatibility Program determined that eligible buildings should be prioritized to family residences , institutions , and community facilities . As of November 2010 , the England Authority has received $ 21 , 000 , 000 from the FAA for their Noise Mitigation Program . The funding has been used for land acquisitions , relocation programs , and acoustical treatment programs . The Neighborhood Noise Mitigation Program is divided into two areas . The primary area includes the areas that are located where they are subjected to 70 DNL or greater . The secondary area includes areas that are located in areas that are subjected to 65 to 70 DNL . The areas affected were designated from the 2010 Part 150 Noise Study . There are three options that were approved for the primary areas . The first option is called the Property Acquisition and Relocation Assistance Program . The program was designed by the FAA to provide homeowners on a voluntary basis the opportunity to sell their property and move away from areas impacted by aircraft noise . The second option is called the Avigation Easement Acquisition Program . The program gives interested homeowners a single cash payment in exchange for providing the England Authority with a signed Avigation Easement document . The third option is an Acoustical Treatment Program . The Acoustical Treatment Program provides a range of acoustic modifications to participating homes . The program may include window and door modifications , wall and attic insulation , and ventilation modifications . All modifications done to the home through the program are free to the homeowner . Properties in the Secondary Area are eligible only for the Avigation Easement Acquisition and the Acoustical Treatment Programs .