The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
⏩ INSIDE: Ruling changes the game for state’s airports.
Connecticut is taking another look at its air travel plans after Tweed New Haven Airport’s recent victory in federal court, and the question is whether the state can craft a cohesive strategy among competing factions.
The ruling by the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has positioned the New Haven airport to extend its runways and possibly attract more airline services. It has also prompted officials to think about leveraging Connecticut airports alongside Bradley International Airport to bolster economic development.
“Any time any airport can enhance their infrastructure, that’s usually a positive thing, because it increases the opportunities of that airport and the overall system,” said Kevin Dillon, director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees operation of stateowned Bradley and five general aviation airports throughout the state.
As Connecticut looks to attract and retain businesses and residents, there is a need to develop local airports to supplement growth at Bradley, according to Joeseph McGee, vice president of public policy and programs at the Business Council of Fairfield County.
“This is an issue of, do we grow the pie or do we fight for market share and (outdo) our competition, and that is the challenge here,” McGee said. “We’ve gotten into these very parochial fights, and there needs to be a broader view of an economic strategy that grows the state — and air service is critical.”
Clearing the way
The court ruled Tweed could bypass a previous state limit of 5,600 feet on its main runway length, clearing the way for the New Haven airport to pave portions of the existing safety areas.
Industry observers view the ruling as a potential boon for the state, particularly in convincing residents in Fairfield County that Connecticut airports can be a genuine alternative to flying out of New York.
“A lot of that is going to be driven, as it has been, with more nonstop services out of Bradley to more (of the) U.S.,” said Oz Griebel, the former head of the MetroHartford Alliance, a regional business council in Hartford, and onetime head of a statewide transportation strategy group.
Gov. Ned Lamont has expressed his support for a regional airport in south central Connecticut, though he hasn’t made a choice between Tweed or Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, where Bridgeport officials want to bring back passenger services.
“It’s a critical link that’s currently missing from our state’s economic development and transportation ecosystem, particularly for southern New Haven and Fairfield counties,” read a statement from a spokesperson for the governor.
Head to head
Tweed and Sikorsky run a risk through competing. Their markets overlap, which could undermine their efforts to attract larger airlines to the state, according to industry observers.
“The idea that we are still kind of chopped up in the state doesn’t allow us to fully leverage the combination of Bradley, TweedNew Haven and Sikorsky,” Griebel said.
Griebel said Connecticut’s strategy for its airports should be maintaining Bradley in the forefront, while using airports like Tweed and Sikorsky as complementary entities.
Expansion of either of those airports has gotten pushback from neighboring
residents. State Attorney General William Tong has received pressure from proponents and opponents after the Tweed court ruling.
The latter came shortly after Tweed’s victory from State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, DNew Haven, and Minority
Leader Len Fasano, RNorth Haven, who urged Tong to appeal the court ruling, citing adverse impact on neighboring residents in New Haven and East Haven.
Tweed is independent of the CAA, operating under its own airport authority. Officials from the CAA and Tweed have been negotiating the potential management or acquisition of the airport for several months.