RUNWAY FOOTAGE SHOULDN’T STOP TWEED FROM FLYING HIGH

Years after an agreement between New Haven and East Haven officials to limit the runway to a statutory 5,600 feet at Tweed New Haven Airport, the agreement is the thorn preventing Tweed from flying high.

To New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, it is a matter of a thousand feet equaling millions of dollars in untapped revenue and resetting Tweed airport as the go-to airline for people south of Hartford County.

But to some residents of East Haven, it is a matter of noise and the quality of life.

And to Connecticut legislators, the statutory limit of 5,600 feet is a matter of law.

Something has to give.

For years, Tweed has been an also-ran to Bradley International Airport or a second thought as an airport in Connecticut due to its limitations.

A state statute limiting Tweed’s runway length to the current 5,600 feet was passed in 2009 as part of a settlement between former New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and former East Haven Mayor April Capone.

As part of the settlement, East Haven withdrew its objections to the installation of federally mandated, unpaved runway safety areas at either end of the runway.

But that was nearly 10 years ago and things have changed. Now, cities and towns must take advantage of the resources within their confines that can help stabilize finances and enhance growth.

New Haven and Tweed turned to the courts to have the statutory limit removed and were denied. The case is now on appeal and Harp and supporters are trying a new avenue to reach the skies.

Efforts are now underway to get legislators to end the restriction of the statutory runway length with a campaign that lays out the economic losses of doing nothing.

Harp sees a thriving airport as the essential missing piece that would unlock regional potential and thrust it into a competitive force that would complement what the region has to offer.

State Senate Democratic President Martin M. Looney of New Haven, whose district includes Tweed and the Morris Cove section of the city bordering it, said in addition to noise mitigation there must be “some kind of community benefits agreement” that would compensate neighbors of Tweed for any inconvenience.

During a recent editorial board at the Register where she stumped for a change, Harp said “we need to get to yes and we need to get to yes now.”

We agree.

Harp’s argument makes sense. There is no reason for passengers from our region to spend hours making their way to Bradley or New York airports when we have an airport in our own backyard that just needs a little help.

With a longer runway, Tweed can bring in more airlines, fly to more destinations and bring those dollars into our coffers. As a plus, it also would relieve taxpayers of the $1.5 million they shell out annually to keep Tweed operating.

It is time to embrace the skies from New Haven — and runway footage shouldn’t stop Tweed from flying high.