NewHavenBIZ

12 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED T he leaders at Tweed New Haven Airport imagine a time when leisure travelers will hop on a plane straight to Disney World. Or when New Haven area business travelers view Tweed as their first choice when they need to fly. Aer 18 months of preparation, Tweed has submitted a new master plan to federal regulators that sets an ambitious vision for the future. Most notably, it calls for relocating the airport's terminal across the border into East Haven, and extending the airport runway, allowing it to accommodate heavier planes, and as a result, nonstop flights to further locations than it can reach now. Targeted routes include direct flights to Florida, Washington, D.C., Chicago and New Haven airport leaders' master plan includes relocating terminal, extending runway to lure more direct flights By Melissa Nicefaro North Carolina. e Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends that publicly-owned airports such as Tweed submit a new master plan every 10 years, or as local aviation con- ditions change. Tweed's existing master plan was completed in 2002. "What we found over the course of our study was that if we want to be competitive, if we want to attract the kind of service that I think this region wants, which is a mix of both leisure and business, then we've got to lengthen the runway," said Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority Executive Director Sean Scanlon, who is also a Democratic state representative. Extended debate e debate to extend Tweed's runway has been a long-standing issue in the state that's been in the courts and split public opinion. e business community and airport pro- ponents say it could have a major economic impact on the region, while opponents have raised concerns about how it would affect nearby residential neighborhoods. e issue reached a turning point in 2019 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a decade-old state law that limited the length of Tweed's main runway. e master plan is a comprehensive proj- ect that takes into account various factors and forecasts, and it must be approved by the FAA before any action can move forward. e plan studied several issues, including where the airport's terminal should be located. e Airport Authority has recommended relocating it to East Haven on Proto Drive, which has less of a residential neighbor- hood and more commercial properties in the area, Scanlon said. "Having a lot of traffic going through small streets is kind of an issue. And if we want to build, it makes a little more sense to go into a commercial area than it is to build off of a residential alone," Scanlon said. Plans for a new terminal are still in the early stages. Scanlon did not disclose the total cost for the project, but hinted it would be in the tens of millions. e run- way project will be funded almost entirely by the federal government. And the new terminal would be financed, in an ideal world, through a partnership with a private investor, he said. e other issue was determining how long the runway must be to attract more flights. e authority recommends adding anoth- er 1,035 feet, which would bring the total length to 6,635 feet. Tweed Makeover "It's all about being able to get in and get out of New Haven easily." Garrett Sheehan, Executive Director, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce State Rep. Sean Scanlon is also the executive director of the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority, which is recommending moving the airport's terminal and expanding its runway to lure more direct flights. An overhead view of the Tweed New Haven Airport.

• Cover