Hartford Business Journal

6 Hartford Business Journal • January 8, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com T he Connecticut Airport Authority is considering out- sourcing operations of three of its five general aviation airports in an attempt to save money and narrow multimillion-dollar losses on the facilities. The CAA's negotiation with Dulles, Va.- based AFCO AvPORTS Management LLC involves Hartford-Brainard, Waterbury- Oxford and Groton-New London airports and could include a phased-in operations contract. Negotiations do not include Danielson or Windham airports, where the CAA has no day-to-day staffing and already outsources basic maintenance, including snow removal, to third-party contractors. The proposal also does not include Brad- ley International Airport. The CAA board is expected to discuss the AvPORTS deal Jan. 8 when it meets at 1 p.m. "One of the things that we struggle with at our general aviation airports, as do most general aviation airports across the country, they typically don't operate in the black," said Kevin Dillon, the CAA's executive director. The five general aviation airports reported cumulative operating losses, excluding depreciation, of about $3 million in fiscal 2016 and $2.7 million in fiscal 2017, according to CAA figures. "Ultimately, the goal of the Airport Au- thority is to have the airport system here stand on its own," Dillon said. The main area to achieve savings is labor, which is impacted by the high costs of fringe benefits for state union contracts, Dillon said, projecting more than $1 million in annual savings with a private operator. There are 16 full-time equivalent employ- ees at the three general aviation airports rep- resented by four labor groups, most of them, 11, by the maintainers union, or NP-2, whose responsibilities include airfield maintenance such as snowplowing and grass mowing. CAA is talking with the unions on the issue, Dillon said. "We know the impact to individual em- ployees and we have committed a couple of things," he said. First, everybody would be guaranteed a job at Bradley because it has openings for all of those classifications, Dillon said. The CAA also would provide that Av- PORTS essentially give current employees first right of refusal so long as they comply with AvPORTS standards, he said. Carl Chisem, vice president of the union representing the service and maintenance workers, CEUI SEIU Local 511, said he and union president Ron McLellan continue to talk with Dillon. The union is trying to verify the number of affected workers and other details and come to a workable solution, but it's still early, Chisem said, unable to provide details pending further discussions. "There are a lot of things that we still have to flesh out — what's the best pos- sible solution," he said. "We understand … the state is in a bind," Chisem said. "Talking with the airport, hope- fully you come out to a workable solution. We haven't gone through any numbers yet." The important part is to try to protect members, Chisem said. Republican state Sen. Toni Boucher, co- chair of the General Assembly's Transpor- tation Committee, said fringe benefit costs make it hard for Connecticut airports and other agencies to compete, adding it may make sense to privatize the airports' operations. "I haven't studied it in-depth," Boucher Hartford Jet Center eyeing more Brainard Airport hangars By John Stearns jstearns@HartfordBusiness.com More hangars are anticipated at Hartford's Brainard Airport, pending negotiations be- tween a company overseeing general aviation services there and the airport's owner/opera- tor, the Connecticut Airport Authority. Hartford Jet Center is the fixed-base op- erator at the airport, overseeing its hangars, jet fuel sales, maintenance, flight lessons, charter operations and a restaurant. It has a ground lease with the Airport Authority, which handles field maintenance at Brainard. "Eventually we would like to build a few more hangars," said Lindsey Rutka, co- owner of the Jet Center with Bob Morande. "Right now, there's a lot of planes that sit out here on the field, that don't have a place to be able to park, to get under the cover." Number and timing of hangars remain uncertain as the two sides talk. But Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon said he expects there will be some signifi- cant hangar development at Brainard. He suggested more so-called T-hangars, to house smaller aircraft, and box hangars, for larger ones, could be in the offing. Hartford Jet Center would like to build new T-hangars at the airport, or possibly manage what Rutka said are about 50 association-owned T-hangars, which are similar to a condominium association, but for indoor aircraft storage. A recent state report noted two aircraft storage condominium associations already exist at Brainard. Hartford Jet Center currently operates three box hangars at Brainard ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 square feet. Rutka, of Glastonbury, and Morande, of Wethersfield, acquired the fixed-base opera- tions at the airport in 2015 from Atlantic Avi- ation, and made various improvements since then. They also co-own Pegasus Air Charter, which has five propeller and jet aircraft; and Windham Airport's fixed-base operations, Windham Air Services; and Horizon Aircraft Services. Windham Airport is another of CAA's five general aviation airports. Rutka Airfield Outsourcing Connecticut Airport Authority considering private operator for general aviation airports to cut costs Lindsey Rutka, co-owner of Hartford Jet Center at Hartford-Brainard Airport, would eventually like to build more hangars at the airport to shelter aircraft from the elements. HBJ PHOTO | JOHN STEARNS HBJ PHOTO | JOHN STEARNS CT Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon said CAA is considering outsourcing operations at three of its general aviation airports.

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