Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 29, 2024 13 MAY 2ND | AQUA TURF CLUB JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THESE INCREDIBLE INDIVIDUALS SCAN HERE TOP 25 hear THEM roar building would be constructed at Bradley Airport." While it's not a huge revenue driver compared to commercial passenger service, Dillon said cargo-related business activity at Bradley will be important to the state in future years. While other airports lack space to expand their cargo operations and regional warehouses, Bradley and surrounding towns have open land to accommodate growth. "It's a huge generator of employ- ment — when you think of the logistics chain that is behind cargo movement, it generates a lot of jobs," Dillon said. Other airports Bradley gets a lot of the headlines, but the CAA operates five other general aviation airports in the state: Danielson; Groton-New London; Hartford-Brainard; Waterbury-Oxford; and Windham. Like Bradley, Groton-New London Airport also has the required federal certification for commercial flights. "That's an effort that I would like to see continue on in the orga- nization: that hopefully at some point, some level of commercial passenger service could be brought to Groton-New London Airport," Dillon said. The recent growth of Tweed New Haven Airport, which the CAA doesn't operate, and T.F. Green International Airport in Rhode Island, makes those efforts more difficult, Dillon admitted, but he "still thinks there's a real opportunity to service the business community that's located in" the southeastern part of the state. Sheridan said he'd like to see service from Groton-New London Airport to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Corporate-related aviation at Waterbury-Oxford has expanded over the past several years, and Dillon said there is more room to grow that capacity simply because it's cheaper to fly in and out of Connecticut than some neighboring states. Water- bury-Oxford Airport is currently in the middle of an investment deal with private aviation company Clay Lacy, which is building a new $40 million full-service, fixed-base operator and corporate hangar facility set to open later this year. Finding a successor Sheridan, who is also presi- dent and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, said the CAA's board has been discussing the succession process internally for several months, and will conduct a nationwide search for Dillon's replacement. The job hasn't been advertised yet, but Sheridan said it'd be ideal to have someone named for the role before Dillon retires, to make for a smoother transition. Regardless, Dillon has agreed to be available to the board as a consultant following his departure. "He has done a marvelous job for us, so we'll certainly miss his guidance, but there's a lot of good talent out there, and we need to do a thorough search and make sure we get the right person," Sheridan said. Dillon said the CAA board is aware of the experience needed to be successful in the position: he's held leadership roles at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Massa- chusetts Port Authority, Manches- ter-Boston Regional Airport, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, and Rhode Island Airport Corp. An understanding of aviation finance, operations and regulations as well as airfield and facility devel- opment are crucial to the position, Dillon said. While the search for his successor will be nationwide, Dillon said he wouldn't be surprised to see someone from Bradley's existing senior staff rise to the position. "I do think the board has a very good handle on the type of person that they're going to need to bring in to continue to lead the organization," Dillon said. Source: Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport passenger traffic PASSENGER TRAFFIC 7M 6M 5M 4M 3M 2M 1M 0 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

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