"Study: New England air passengers to increase 77 percent by 2020"

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

Study: New England air passengers to increase 77 percent by 2020
By Mark Jewell
The Associated Press


BOSTON --New England's airports can expect passenger traffic to grow 77
percent by 2020, with most of the region's smaller airports seeing bigger
percentage gains than dominant Logan International, according to a study
released Wednesday.

The report, sponsored by the New England Airports Coalition, says New
England is equipped to handle the growth without building a new airport, but
only if the region's 11 passenger service airports improve performance and
prepare for more passengers.

"By continuing to enhance the operation of each airport in the system, the
region can avoid the tremendous cost and community disruption that
developing a new major airport would require," the report concluded.

Although smaller airports are expected to continue to relieve pressure on
Logan, the Boston airport is projected to handle a majority of the region's
air travelers for at least the next 14 years, the report says.

However, six airports are expected to post more rapid passenger growth than
Logan through 2020. And despite a slowdown in airport investment after the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, several New England airports are now improving
or adding terminals and runways to compete with Logan and other rivals.

"All the airports in the region are growing, so everybody has to take on
some extra burden," said Jeff Bourk, assistant manager at Maine's Portland
International Jetport, which added service from the low-cost carrier JetBlue
last spring.

The study follows a report in 1989 that suggested New England needed to
build another major Massachusetts airport to relieve congestion at Logan --
an idea that quickly ran into opposition.

The report released Wednesday projects New England's total air passenger
traffic to increase 77 percent, from nearly 43 million in 2004 to about 76
million by 2020.

Among the region's six airports with more than 1 million passengers per
year, the report projects the highest growth rate -- 88 percent -- at New
Hampshire's Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. The facility recently
changed its name from Manchester Airport to promote itself as a no-hassle
travel alternative to Logan.

Manchester-Boston's director, Kevin Dillon, said he agrees that New England
can accommodate growth without another new major airport, provided existing
airports continue expanding.

"The capacity we have will easily accommodate the region's aviation needs,"
said Dillon, whose own airport has nearly completed a 10-year, $500 million
improvement project.

Other major New England airports with growth rates expected to exceed
Logan's 73 percent include Maine's Bangor International (87 percent);
Portland International (86 percent); and Vermont's Burlington International
(84 percent).

Logan's passenger traffic is expected to grow from 24.5 million passengers
in 2004 to 42.4 million by 2020, which is the largest increase in actual
numbers.

Logan is prepared for the growth.

"All the improvements to our facility have anticipated steady growth and
demand and we are prepared to accommodate this level of demand," said Betty
Desrosiers, Logan's director of strategic projects.

The report recommends Logan "continue to pursue new air traffic control
technology to improve efficiency, especially during adverse weather
conditions."

New England's second-busiest airport, Connecticut's Bradley International,
is forecast to see relatively slow 60 percent growth, from 6.5 million
passengers in 2004 to 10.4 million in 2020. In Warwick, R.I., T.F. Green
Airport is forecast to see 72 percent growth, from 5.3 million to 9.1
million.

Two small airports are expected to post the fastest growth rates of the
region's 11 passenger airports, in part because they now have only tiny
shares of the region's market. Connecticut's Tweed-New Haven Regional is
forecast to see passenger traffic increase from 43,000 in 2004 to 962,000 by
2020, with Massachusetts' L.G. Hanscom Field expected to grow from 26,000 to
451,000.

The report says New Englanders take to the air more frequently than most
Americans, making an average 2.5 passenger trips per person per year,
compared with 1.4 percent nationally.

The team that authored the study will visit each of the region's airports
over the next two months to discuss the findings. The study was authored by
a consulting team led by The Louis Berger Group.

On the Net:

New England Regional Airport System Plan:

http://www.nerasp.com/NERASP--Final--Report--Web--Version.pdf

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