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The Back and Forth on Tweed

We’re all familiar with the back and forth between East Haven, New Haven, and Tweed Airport. There was that well publicized Memorandum of Agreement and the change to state statues that limited what Tweed could or could not do. Everyone was happy, or it seemed that way for a time.

Now, New Haven Mayor Toni Harp has torn up that MOA and there is court action underway to repeal the statute involving Tweed and runway length. The sad part is we haven’t heard a peep from East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., other then saying something about it’s in the court’s hands. He is right, but will he fight for the people living around the airport or will he cave to political pressure from New Haven? We should know all this.

Now it appears New Haven and Tweed want to build a new terminal facility on the East Haven side of the property. Yes, if erected it means more taxes coming in, but it also means more truck and vehicle traffic to and from, using residential streets.

To me it looks like Tweed and New Haven have conspired with this plan in hopes of enticing East Haven to drop its fight to expand the southern portion of the main runway.

Tweed will never be commercially viable. I just took a trip to Orlando via Hartford, under three hours non-stop with Southwest, for less than $120, round trip. Going with American Airlines (AA) from Tweed to Orlando via Philadelphia, the lowest cost was $272, and you have to change terminals and take six hours. From Bradley with AA the lowest cost was $175, again stopping in Philadelphia, and would take eight hours.

Even if the runway is expanded, will the airlines be able to compete with Bradley? I say “No.”

Richard Poulton

East Haven