Hartford Business Journal

16 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 21, 2022 The Stratford-based Sikorsky Memorial Airport (shown above) — currently used for recreational, corporate and government flights — is projecting 65,000 landings and takeoffs in 2022. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Amid fight for control of Sikorsky Airport, advocates push for commercial passenger service By Robert Storace rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com S ikorsky Memorial Airport has a rich history dating back to 1911, when it was the site of the country's first air show. Since then, the Stratford-based airport has undergone numerous name changes and, most recently, a power struggle over its future. The city of Bridgeport currently owns the airport but is weighing whether to sell it for $10 million to the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), which operates Bradley International Airport and five of the state's seven general aviation airports, including Hartford-Brainard and Waterbury-Oxford. The Sikorsky Memorial Airport Commission voted in May to move forward with the sale, but the Bridge- port City Council hasn't yet signed off. A vote on the possible sale has been delayed with no decision date currently set in stone. Meantime, the town of Stratford has argued the airport would be in better hands if it purchased the property and hired a third party to run it. The airport is currently used for recreational, corporate and govern- ment use, but the CAA and town of Stratford both want Sikorsky to add commercial passenger air service. One goal is to attract Fairfield County travelers, who often fly out of New York rather than making the trip to Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks. To make commercial service happen, a significant infrastructure investment would need to be made in the airport, officials said. "Local control is important," said Strat- ford Mayor Laura Hoydick. "Our activi- ties and our decisions will benefit this region, as opposed to having something that's run by an entity (CAA) 70 miles away." Local vs. state control If Stratford were to convince the Bridgeport City Council that it was best equipped to run the airport, Hoydick said "we'd reinstitute passenger service and utilize the fuel-base opera- tions that we currently have there." Hoydick said the town has had discussions with Breeze Airways about passenger service at Sikorsky. Breeze — a startup airline launched last year by serial aviation entrepre- neur David Neeleman, co-founder of JetBlue — has led an aggressive expansion at Bradley International Airport over the last few years. Hoydick said it's too soon to estimate how much her town — or other private partners — would have to invest to make the airport viable for commercial service. "I have met with the (Federal Avia- tion Administration) several times and have had many conversations about the prospect of Stratford purchasing the airport," she said. "We've also talked to several third parties who are interested in operating the airport. (Advocating for airport ownership) is not something I take lightly and it's not a decision that I made spur of the moment." CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon said he estimates it would take about a $62-million investment to prepare Sikorsky Airport for commer- cial passenger service. "Should the CAA have the oppor- tunity to manage Sikorsky Airport, our first priority will be to update the airfield and landside infrastructure, with the goal of securing commercial passenger service," Dillon said. Dillon said the CAA has the expertise to run airports, giving it an advantage in the quest for control. "I think we can do it more efficiently than bringing in an outside entity because we won't have to duplicate the engineering staff or the opera- tional staff, for example," Dillon said. "We already have that experience residing in-house." Dillon said the CAA has a major airline — which he declined to name due to a non-disclosure agreement — that has expressed interest in operating at Sikorsky. Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim said it's more than likely the city Laura Hoydick FLIGHT TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS AT SIKORSKY MEMORIAL AIRPORT Year Passenger traffic 2020 56,667 2021 63,709 2022 65,000 Source: Sikorsky Memorial Airport

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