Kris Hallstrand, Airport Director, Lakeland Linder International Airport

July 2026 — In an interview with Invest:, Kris Hallstrand, airport director at Lakeland Linder International Airport, detailed a period of unprecedented growth driven by major real estate developments, successful new passenger air service, and robust cargo operations. “When deciding the airport’s vision, I say, ‘it’s not my airport, it’s the community’s airport,’” Hallstrand said.

What have been the most significant changes or initiatives at the airport recently, and how have they influenced your operations and regional connectivity?

The major areas of focus were real estate, air service, and overall growth. Success breeds success, and we keep putting forth a perfect effort to achieve great results for Lakeland. 

Regarding real estate, we did a 16-acre lease to an investment company for a wide-body MRO facility. This project will be a couple hundred million dollar investment and will create more than 350 high-skill, high-wage jobs. I’m passionate about this because we have Sun ‘n Fun and the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) bringing youth into aviation via STEM, but then they would have to leave Lakeland for jobs in cities like  Atlanta, Denver, or Orlando.This MRO facility will help keep our talented youth in the community. 

Air service has also been huge for us. It’s something the community has asked about for years. Avelo Airlines, which has been operating with us since June of 2024, is expanding. They found success with routes to places like San Juan and Rochester. Now, they have eight destinations leaving twice weekly, with several routes increasing to four times weekly. 

How have Amazon Air’s growth and the airport’s ongoing infrastructure upgrades affected cargo capacity, job creation, and overall airport activity?

This year, we’re over 150,000 aircraft operations. Amazon alone accounts for about 5,000 cargo operations, and Lakeland is now No. 3 in Florida for cargo for the second year in a row..  I’m optimistic about eventually moving into the No. 2 spot. Our cargo facility supports over 1,200 jobs, and we’ve expanded ramp and taxiway capacity to accommodate additional aircraft positions. The future looks good. Polk County is top for population growth, and e-commerce is huge, which is Amazon’s bailiwick — they do it well. As e-commerce evolves, core next-day deliveries will flourish because the population won’t accept less andLakeland is strongly positioned to capitalize on that growth. 

How is Lakeland positioning itself to take advantage of merging technologies like unmanned systems and trends like sustainable aviation?

While the world is a little shaky regarding drones and small delivery vehicles for cargo, the airport environment is different due to safety concerns. Another area of focus is Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Lakeland has been identified as an FDOT partner to start working on AAM development in Florida, involving small aircraft capable of vertical or short takeoffs-essentially an air taxi service.

The state’s goal is to lead the way in AAM and we’ve positioned ourselves on the leading edge by being part of the first plan to roll that out in Central Florida. The goal is to improve connectivity and potentially ease traffic on I-4. Imagine flying into Lakeland and hopping on an AAM to go to Disney, the beach, or downtown Tampa. It benefits both air travelers and local residents by providing an alternative to driving.

When deciding the airport’s vision, I say, “it’s not my airport, it’s the community’s airport.” When I took over as airport director, I preferred general aviation and cargo — “boxes don’t complain.” I didn’t think I’d like passenger service because of complaints and problems, but the community wanted it. I’m actually enjoying and loving air service now. I’m all in. I’m learning and growing. We are the community’s airport, providing the service our community seeks, whether for economic impact or transportation needs.

Our catchment area is quite large, going from Orlando down to Fort Meade, up to the Villages, and over to St. Pete. We’re proud of the success and the overwhelmingly positive community feedback. Even our TSA agents, who love what we’re doing here in Lakeland, are down there with a smile.

What synergies exist between nearby airports and regional logistics hubs?

First, every airport has a purpose. Here in Polk County, we have four airports: Bartow, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, and us here at Lakeland. We all have a special niche in our aviation ecosystem. In Central Florida, we have Tampa and Orlando, where you can go anywhere in the world. We don’t serve every destination, but those options are close by. We’re all intertwined. We all work together.

When there’s a hurricane coming, all the I-4 corridor airports get on a call every day to talk about preparedness. After the emergency, we say, “Do you need my team to come help you, Tampa?” If needed, I can send my maintenance and operations team. We’ve done it for Naples and other airports. We all poke at each other because business is business, but we’re all one big happy aviation family. We all network together very well, and we all serve our purpose.

It’s the same with cargo and logistics. Polk County has extensive warehousing, supporting thousands of jobs. With Amazon now moving cargo for other companies, Lakeland can facilitate local shipping and receiving that previously required using more distant airports. This reduces truck traffic, transportation costs, and time. Better opportunities are coming in this region because of our airports and our ability to get out in front and lead.

I’ve run airports in Wisconsin and Florida, and I have never seen a group of aviation professionals in this I-4 corridor that puts forth the effort to figure out the next best way to serve our community. We have the tourism side, but we also have our local folks. I can’t fly to Sweden out of Lakeland, and I’m OK with that, because we’re Lakeland, we’re not Tampa. I’ve never seen such a committed group of aviation leaders that put forth the amount of effort that this region does. We’re pretty fortunate to have what we have here.