NC Global TransPark, Kinston: Airbus and truck access guide

The short version

The North Carolina Global TransPark, or GTP, is a 2,500-acre industrial park and airport in Kinston. The state owns and runs it. The address is 2780 Jetport Road, Kinston, NC 28504. [1][4]

Most activity on site is aerospace. Airbus builds A350 fuselage panels and wing spar parts there, and the U.S. Navy opened a large aircraft repair complex in September 2026. [8][14]

Road access is by US 70 and NC 148, the C.F. Harvey Parkway. The GTP's fact sheet puts I-95 about 40 miles away and the Port of Morehead City about 75 miles away. [1][21]

Do not expect an interstate at the gate. As of September 2026, US 70 around Kinston is not signed as I-42, and NCDOT has no construction schedule for the Kinston Bypass. [18][20]

What the Global TransPark is

The GTP is run by the North Carolina Global TransPark Authority. State law places the Authority inside NCDOT, under the direction of the Secretary of Transportation. NCDOT lists the GTP as one of its divisions. [4][5]

The park grew out of the old Kinston airport. Today that airport is the Kinston Regional Jetport, with the code ISO. It sits about three miles northwest of downtown Kinston. [6][22]

The GTP markets itself for aerospace, logistics, manufacturing, emergency services and defense work. It also holds Foreign Trade Zone 214, which can matter for imported parts. [1]

The main office phone listed on the fact sheet is (252) 775-6180. As of September 2026, the executive director is Jeremy Stroud. [1][7]

The runway and why it matters to trucks

The runway is 11,500 feet long and 150 feet wide. The GTP calls it one of the longest runways east of the Mississippi. The airport has an FAA control tower and instrument landing systems. [3][6][1]

The tower is open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., per the GTP's jetport page. Jet A and avgas are sold through the airport's fixed base operator. [6]

A long runway draws very large cargo planes. In July 2026, WCTI12 reported that an Antonov An-124 loaded A350 fuselage sections at the GTP for Airbus in Toulouse, France. [10]

For a driver, that means some loads at the GTP are oversize, high-value or time-critical. Ask the shipper about size, handling and delivery windows before you book an aircraft-parts load. [9][10]

Who is on site and what they ship

Airbus is the best-known tenant. It took over Spirit AeroSystems' Kinston plant on December 8, 2025, and now runs it as Airbus Aerosystems Kinston with about 1,000 workers in a 500,000-square-foot plant. [8]

The plant makes composite fuselage panels and wing spar parts for the A350. Airbus says those parts go to France for assembly. It also describes robot carriers that move 90,000-pound tools inside the plant. [8][9]

How those parts leave has changed over time. In 2012, Site Selection reported that wing spars and panels shipped by sea from Morehead City and Wilmington. A 2022 Carolina Journal piece said GTP clients still used the Morehead City port. [11][12]

The U.S. Navy's Fleet Readiness Center East signed a 10-year lease in April 2026. It covers 65 acres, with about 17 acres of hangar under roof. The Navy expects more than 400 jobs there. [13]

The complex held its opening ceremony on September 17, 2026. It will repair C-130 Hercules transports and HH-60W rescue helicopters. NCDOT says final work is expected in summer 2027. [14][15]

flyExclusive, a private jet operator, has hangars and a paint shop at the GTP. In August 2026, the North State Journal reported $30 million in state money for its repair facility, which the GTP Authority will own. [16][2]

Other tenants in the GTP's 2023 annual report included Draken International, Mountain Air Cargo, Crate Tech, West Pharmaceutical, the NC Forest Service and NC Emergency Management. That list is from 2023, so confirm any name before you run. [2]

Getting there by road

The GTP's fact sheet lists four roads within five miles or next to the park: US 70 (future I-42), NC 148, US 258 and NC 58. [1]

NC 148, the C.F. Harvey Parkway, is a 13.2-mile, four-lane expressway with a 65 mph limit. It runs from US 70 to NC 11 and passes near the GTP and the jetport. [21]

The parkway was built in pieces. Its last section, from NC 58 to NC 11, opened on March 1, 2021. With it, the parkway works as a bypass of Kinston between US 70 and NC 11. [21]

Distances from the GTP, per its fact sheet: I-795 about 20 miles, I-587 about 32 miles, I-95 about 40 miles and I-40 about 60 miles. The sheet does not say which routes it measured. [1]

Port distances on the same sheet: Morehead City about 75 miles, Wilmington about 95 miles and Norfolk about 150 miles. US 70 is the corridor toward Morehead City. [1][19]

NCDOT's statewide truck restriction table from March 2024 lists no restrictions in Lenoir County. The closest entry we found is NC 121 in Greene County, closed to through trucks between US 264 and the Pitt County line. [23]

Local rules can still apply. Follow posted signs, and ask the shipper or receiver which gate and route to use on the GTP campus. [23][1]

I-42 and the Kinston Bypass as of September 2026

I-42 will one day run from I-40 in Wake County to Morehead City along US 70. NCDOT began signing the Goldsboro Bypass as I-42 in September 2024, with the Clayton section to follow. [19]

The signed I-42 ends near La Grange, west of Kinston. US 70 east of Dover has been built to interstate standards, but it cannot carry I-42 signs until the Kinston Bypass links it up. [20]

The Kinston Bypass is NCDOT project R-2553. It would be a roughly 21-mile, four-lane freeway from US 70 near La Grange to US 70 near Dover, built for 70 mph. [18]

NCDOT picked a route, called Alternative 1SB. But the project is funded only through the environmental Record of Decision. NCDOT puts the full cost at about $1.235 billion. [18]

No schedule for right of way or construction had been set when NCDOT last updated the page in October 2025. It will be considered in the next State Transportation Improvement Program. So for now, plan on running the current US 70 through Kinston. [18]

Rail at the GTP

The GTP has a working rail link. The Kinston Railroad runs about 5.8 miles of NCDOT-owned track from a Norfolk Southern junction in Kinston to the park. [2][24]

Jaguar Transport Holdings operates it through its Kinston Railroad unit. Service began on August 1, 2022. [24]

The GTP's fact sheet says the site can transload freight and connects to both the Norfolk Southern and CSX networks. For truckers, transload work can mean short hauls between the rail spur and nearby plants or warehouses. [1]

Recent news: 2025 and 2026

February 2025: the state's Rural Infrastructure Authority gave Lenoir County a $1.9 million grant for sewer work at the GTP to serve the Navy's new repair center. [17]

December 2025: Airbus closed its purchase of Spirit AeroSystems' Kinston operations and began running the plant. [8]

April 2026: the Navy signed its 10-year, $15 million-a-year lease. The state had approved a $350 million loan in 2023 for the site work. [13]

May 2026: Lenoir Community College opened its aviation center at the GTP, per NCDOT. August 2026: state lawmakers set aside $30 million for flyExclusive's expansion. [14][16]

September 17, 2026: the Navy's C-130 and HH-60 repair complex opened. More workers on site should mean more parts, supplies and service deliveries into the park. [14][13]

Before you take a GTP load

Get the tenant name, the building and the gate from your broker or shipper. The GTP is a large campus with airport, military and private tenants side by side. [1][2]

Military sites have their own rules. For loads to the Navy complex, ask the receiver in advance about ID, check-in and delivery hours. We found no public delivery rules for it as of September 2026. [14]

Check US 70, NC 148 and your route to I-95 or the coast on DriveNC before you leave. It shows closures and incidents statewide and offers route alerts. [25]

We found no official truck parking or fuel listing for Kinston. Plan your fuel and your 10-hour break before you head east, and do not count on parking at the GTP unless your receiver offers it. [1][25]