

Finally the safety zones for the 14/32 runway are not up to specification (a waiver being in place until 2015) and they need to be increased. The 14/32 runway at the airport has some problems in that it cannot be easily lengthened to accommodate full-sized jets because this would infringe upon protected land (St Andrews Bay (Goose Bayou) has a protected sea grass species) and also the runway is inside the hurricane belt, being flooded during certain times of the season since it is only 6ft above sea level (the other end of the runway is a dense residential area). Owned by the Panama City-Bay County Airport Authority the airport has been considering expansion plans since the 1980s.

The 745-acre airport has two runways, the 14/32 at around 6,000ft and the 5/23 at 4,900ft and a 55,500ft² terminal building with six gates (two jet bridges). The Panama City-Bay County International Airport, now known as Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, is situated around 6km from Panama City in the state of Florida.
