Worcester Business Journal

62 W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s 2022 & Beyond A busier, more environmentally friendly airport Population growth & air transit trends will make Worcester airport busier in the coming century A viation is still the fastest mode of transportation, said Andy Davis, director of Worcester Regional Airport. at's necessary with online-ordered packages in transit these days – a trend that likely won't go away over the next 100 years. Demand is also growing with more people traveling for leisure and business at airports such as Worcester. "We are well positioned to meet that growth," said Davis. e next 100 years won't necessarily bring a larger Worcester Regional Airport, however. It has two runways on 1,300 acres, and Davis says that aircra design - which continues to evolve – is better suited to capacity to run- ways like Worcester's. He uses the example of an airplane landing from Puerto Rico in the 1970s, with Worcester's runways not being long enough to accommodate, compared to now. "e airport park is essentially built out," said Timothy Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Com- merce, with three airlines operating at the airport: Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, and American Airlines. But things are getting bigger in a positive way, nonetheless. e Central Massachusetts population growth has Murray optimistic about the transportation facility's future, its resilience most recently exhibited by its economic rebound aer COVID. Overall, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transpor- tation Statewide Airport Economic Impact Study released in 2019, the airport supports close to 600 jobs in the region, generating almost $97 million for the local economy. Davis sees those jobs as growing into the next century. "We have about 300 employees now at the airport. at means anyone with badges, such as ground handlers," he said. "But then there are the indirect jobs, too – those who work in the Dunkin Donuts, those who refuel the rented cars, and local hotel staff needed to accommodate our flight crew members, for example." While population and demand may drive job growth, Murray said other changes may take more work and time. Tasks as part of a long-term transporta- tion integration policy are to link up Union Station and the airport with shuttles; encour- age people to rethink their reliance on cars and use public transportation; and address people's lingering perception issues that they have to fly out of Logan airport, he said. Industry advances will impact Worcester airport. Airlines are now testing sustainable aviation fuels, such as vegetable-based fuel, which will change the planes we fly in over the next 100 years, said Davis. Sustainability is also a focus of aircra manufacturers, to reduce emissions and noise. With a growing population on its side, the pandemic in its rear-view mirror, and healthy market demand, Worcester airport's next century is ready for takeoff. – Susan Shalhoub Andy Davis, director of the Worcester Regional Airport The main concourse at the Worcester Regional Airport PHOTOS | WBJ FILE

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