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05/06/2021 12:00 AMOn May 6, officials from Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) and current airport operator Avports LLC announced a “major agreement” to move the airport forward. The $100 million project will not only create thousands of jobs, but bring Avelo Airlines, the country’s first new mainline airline in nearly 15 years, to the East Coast with Tweed as its home base.
Avelo will make a $60 million investment in the community, including stationing three 737-700 Next Gen aircraft there by the end of the year and adding more than 100 crew members, including pilots, flight attendants, technicians, and customer support personnel. The investment also includes $1.2 million to help fund improvements to the existing west terminal. Officials said that nonstop scheduled service to several destinations should begin in the third quarter.
“For years people have talked about improving this airport to meet the needs of this region and now it’s finally coming to fruition,” said Tweed Airport Authority Director Sean Scanlon, who is also the Democratic state representative for District 98. “This historic and exciting project is about more than just offering much-desired new flights and expanded service. This project is about generating significant economic activity in greater New Haven, creating thousands of good-paying local jobs and building one of the country’s first truly sustainable airports.”
Avports, which has operated HVN for more than 20 years, announced its goal of constructing a new, carbon neutral-terminal at HVN at no cost to local taxpayers. HVN’s Master Plan document, which was updated after several public input sessions, also outlines the plan to lengthen the runway.
The expansion of the airport has not always been met with positive public support from East Haven residents and the current administration. With the courts ruling that the runway could be lengthened, Mayor Joseph Carfora has maintained a focus on protecting the Town of East Haven, its taxpayers, and its businesses.
“I am confident that this plan provides East Haven with protections, a sense of certainty, and that it will benefit our community in a way that previous iterations would not have,” said Carfora. “I think too often when this idea was discussed in the past, East Haven was an afterthought, but not anymore. Our town ensured that we were partners in this effort, and that the concerns of our community were not just heard, but addressed.”
Carfora is looking forward to the addition of job opportunities as well as the economic impact that the expansion could have on local businesses.
“This will be a fair partnership from this point forward,” said Carfora. “I look forward to working with the airport, with Avports, and with our partners in New Haven as it progresses forward.”
Part of the agreement includes protections to ensure that Avports operates the Airport as a good neighbor. In addition to abiding by local noise ordinances, Avports will implement requirements from an updated noise study within five years of FAA approval, and will invest up to $1.75 million in additional noise mitigation programs. Avports will also fund environmental and traffic mitigation, with total community investments of approximately $5 million.
“During the master plan process, we made listening to the concerns of the airport’s neighbors our highest priority,” said Scanlon. “As a result, the authority and Avports have ensured that this agreement includes historic community benefits that address the largest concerns raised by the community.”