Worcester Business Journal

2 Worcester Business Journal | February 9, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor M assport is looking to create cargo or logistics operations at Worcester Regional Airport and to grow the airport's passenger count, part of a wider effort to expand the usefulness of the airport it took control of in 2010. In order to become self-sustaining, Worcester Regional needs to continue to increase its passenger count and capture new business, according to a dra version of the Massport 2025 Strategic Plan released Jan. 27. Worcester Regional served 230,000 passengers in 2024, marking the highest volume of passengers in 34 years, according to the strategic report, up from 193,000 in 2023. Worcester's 549% passenger growth since 2009 is the second-highest growth rate among all New England airports, aer Tweed New Haven Airport. Massport aspires to have more than 500,000 passengers using the Worcester airport annually by 2035, according to the report. However, a number of obstacles to further growth are present, including the airport's relative proximity to Boston Logan International Airport and regional airports like Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport $38M affordable support "The need for affordable housing has never been greater. This redevelopment will bring renewed life to one of Worcester's most beautiful neighborhoods while helping ensure that families of all backgrounds can continue to live, grow, and build their futures right here." Alex Corrales, CEO of Worcester Housing Authority, on the Lakeside Apartments redevelopment receiving a $38-million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment Stable housing market "The housing market showed signs of stabilizing in 2025. The number of sales and median sale prices rose moderately rather than at a breakaway pace, indicating a better balance between sellers and buyers. Increased inventory and consistency in mortgage rates were significant contributors to this stabilization." Cassidy Norton, associate publisher and media relations director of The Warren Group, on Massachusetts' housing market in 2025 New cooperative "The key to our pitch to the community is that just looking at our communications spending, what do the people and businesses of our community spend on cell phones and internet? We're sending $80 million up the river every year. We've got to take that power back so that we can control our own destiny again." Tristan Taylor, Fitchburg Fiber Co. co-founder, on the company's new Old Growth Cooperative that plans to launch a mobile phone service in the spring Massport seeks to double Worcester airport passengers by 2035, grow cargo operations in New Hampshire, and Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, all of which have more flight options and higher passenger counts. Both T.F. Green and Bradley benefit from state incentive programs that lower the barrier of entry for airlines. e report states Massport is examining incentives, including minimum revenue guarantees, to retain flights. e Worcester airport offers flights to Philadelphia by American Airlines, flights to New York's LaGuardia Airport by Delta Air Lines, and flights to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and winter- spring seasonal flights to Fort Myers by JetBlue, according to the airport's website. Speaking at a Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce event earlier in January, Massport CEO Rich Davey said four out of the five passenger flights leaving Worcester operate at a loss, according to Spectrum News 1. Davey said Worcester will continue to focus on airlines like Delta and JetBlue, rather than ultra-low-budget brands like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines, which are struggling with current market conditions. Cargo operations at the airport involve niche uses like specialty pharmaceuticals and urgent medical logistics, according to the report, although cargo-specific flights seem to be rare; Worcester Regional did not have any all-cargo flights in 2024, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's 2024 list of all- cargo landed weight at airports in the country. Cargo contained in the belly of passenger flights is not included among that data. is compares to other regional airports like Manchester-Boston, which saw 646.82 million pounds of landed cargo in 2024, and T.F Green, which saw 110.66 million pounds, according to FAA. e concept of growing Worcester Regional's cargo operations has been floated for more than 25 years, with a 1999 Worcester Regional Research Bureau report studying what would need to be done in order to make that happen. e report cited the airport's limited highway access, and noted that major cargo operators like FedEx and UPS already have well-established infrastructure for accepting cargo at Logan and then using trucks to move it to distribution sites in Central Massachusetts, something that has only increased in the years since. at report came before Massport took over ownership of the airport from the City of Worcester in 2010. Since then, Massport has invested $100 million in the airport, including the construction of a CAT III landing system, designed to make landings possible even with low visibility. Despite the investments, obstacles for both increasing passenger and cargo operations at Worcester Regional remain, including its inability to support large, wide-bodied aircra like the Boeing 767 and Boeing 777. PHOTO | WBJ FILE cutline W

• Cover