Story ID: 
Northwest Florida Airport Opens
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Northwest Florida Beaches Airport (KECP) near Panama City, Fla., the first new greenfield airport since Denver International in 1995, opened last month.
Word Count: 114
Northwest Florida Beaches Airport (KECP) near Panama City, Fla., the first new greenfield airport since Denver International in 1995, opened last month.  The 4,000-acre field, designed to guarantee no residential development will be built near the airfield itself or within the flight paths, initially opened with just 10,000-foot Runway 16/34. The new airport will replace the Panama City-Bay County Airport, which is slated to close on July 1. So far, two FBOs have committed to operating at KECP–Sheltair and Regency Air Center. Sheltair is operating from a temporary facility until its new 5,000-sq-ft FBO terminal and 11,000-sq-ft hangar are completed in the fourth quarter. No further details about Regency Air Center were available at press time.