When AirTran flight 1580 from Atlanta arrived at Branson Airport in Missouri last May, it was one of the first commercial flights routed through the only American airport built and operated with private funds.

While it is too early to tell whether the $155 million investment was a wise decision by airport owner Steve Peet, private investors are casting a covetous eye on public airports in San Juan, New Orleans and Atlanta.

"Steve Peet is a bigger pioneer than I am," said Brett Smith, whose Propeller Investments LLC would like to buy or lease Gwinnett County Airport-Briscoe Field in Lawrenceville, opening the airport to commercial flights.

Smith's preliminary plan keeps the general aviation operation intact while adding 10 gates that could handle up to five midsized airplanes an hour. Noting that 70 percent of the people using Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport are connecting passengers, Smith said the Gwinnett airport would target travelers flying in and out of Atlanta.

"I love the industry, I love airplanes; I don't like what it's become," Smith said, complaining that it is difficult to navigate around Hartsfield. "At a smaller airport like what we envision with Gwinnett, is there a way to bring quality back to that part of the business?"

Prompted by Smith's proposal, the Gwinnett County Commission last month voted to study the feasibility of turning the airport over to a private enterprise, a process that could take years. Public agencies that seek to sell or lease their airports must obtain the permission of the Federal Aviation Administration.