Beach commuters pass it every weekend: Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, just off Highway 70 in New Bern.

Airport director Andy Shorter bets most don’t even know it’s there.

The pre-World War II airport, formerly known as Craven County Regional, may not have the commercial traffic buzzing in and out of Raleigh-Durham International and Charlotte-Douglas, but it does host flights from American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

And thanks to a $3 million state cash infusion, it’s making investments…