"Pease airport is renamed Portsmouth International"

Friday, May 19, 2006

Pease airport is renamed Portsmouth International
By JERRY MILLER
The Manchester (NH) Union Leader


Newington - The Pease Development Authority voted 5-1 yesterday to rename
its airport. 

Pease International Airport would become Portsmouth International Airport at
the Pease International Tradeport. 

The change may, however, require approval from the Federal Aviation
Administration, which has pumped more than $60 million into improvements
since 1992. 

The name change is part of a marketing plan that seeks to create a "banner"
identification using the phrase "Pease International." 

The change follows similar moves in Manchester, which recently switched the
name to Boston-Manchester Regional Airport, and Worcester, Mass., which also
added Boston to its airport's identity. 

Anthony McManus, Strafford County's PDA representative, opposed the change,
saying, "Pease is more than Portsmouth. It has a regional impact. It's not
here to increase the (visibility) of Portsmouth. 

"We're missing an opportunity to sell this as a regional or statewide
project," he said, calling the name change "provincial." 

Portsmouth City Manager and PDA member John Bohenko objected to the
continued use of Pease International Airport, following last month's
presentation by Bressette & Company, of its 'branding' marketing plan. 

Told of the name change, two seacoast area travel agents said including
Portsmouth in the title would have little impact on the ability of the PDA
to attract additional scheduled air carrier service. Both cited the
financial condition of the airline industry as their reasons and new
carriers choosing Manchester Airport as a preferred site. 

Pease is currently serviced by Pan Am, which has virtually abandoned
scheduled flights from the tradeport and Allegiant Airlines, which offers
limited service to Florida. 

The name change was first suggested more than a month ago by Robert
Jessurum, owner of Port City Air, one of two fixed-based operators at the
airport. Jessurum insisted the use of Portsmouth in the name would give the
airport 'instant' recognition. 

The name change could require approval of the Federal Aviation
Administration, which has pumped more than $60 million into infrastructure
improvements, since 1992.

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