Momentum builds to end Connecticut airport's runway length limit
A growing coalition is supporting an AOPA-backed bill to allow Connecticut's Tweed-New Haven Airport to extend its main runway, which advocates say would allow the airport to modernize and expand its services.
Representatives of the group backing the measure that would repeal a runway-length limit embodied in statute since 2009 visited the state Capitol and discussed House Bill 7143 with lawmakers on several days in late April.
The coalition includes numerous New Haven-area institutions and organizations including Yale University and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce that believe that with the proper development, the airport could compete more effectively with other regional transportation hubs and stimulate the area's economy.
“The impact on New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford would be dramatic. Creating jobs is clearly a top priority for New Haven. The city is poised for growth, with excellent colleges, a millennial-friendly downtown, and thriving startups in biotech and digital tech. New Haven checks every box but one: transportation,” a Yale University spokesperson said in a March news release.
A local newspaper article posted on the airport’s website included a statement from John Picard, chairman of the airport’s governing organization, noting that “Connecticut needs this to grow. We have to make this happen.”
AOPA reported in March that in addition to working to eliminate the 5,600-foot length limit on the main runway, AOPA gained a win in another advocacy initiative in 2018 by helping prevent the permanent closure of the airport’s alternative runway, which can serve a significant safety purpose by being available when strong crosswind conditions raise the risk profile of operating to or from the main runway.
