Yale officials say lengthening the main runway at Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport and enabling the airport to add flights to more cities would be a boon to the region’s economy and make it easier for Yale-related startups to remain in Greater New Haven as they grow.
The issue has received renewed interest from Governor Ned Lamont and Mayor Toni N. Harp — who are in favor of runway expansion — as well as the state General Assembly. State Rep. Roland Lemar (D-New Haven), has introduced legislation that would repeal the existing statutory restriction on Tweed runway expansion, and the General Assembly’s transportation committee convened a public hearing on the matter on March 4.
“Better air service will help a range of local companies, such as biotech startups, which need to reach their customers and investors,” said Rich Jacob, associate vice president for federal and state relations. “It would also provide a boost to hotels and restaurants. Yale has urged the state to repeal the statute that caps the length of the Tweed runway.”
Dozens of local businesses, including technology companies, hotels, and real estate developers, as well as individual residents, submitted statements for the March 4 public hearing in support of expanded service at Tweed. The Southern Connecticut Regional Council of Governments, comprised of Mayor Harp and the mayors or first selectmen of 14 area towns, also endorsed a longer runway at Tweed.
Currently, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia International Airport in New York capture 63% of passengers from Tweed’s market. Meanwhile, New Haven lags far behind New York and Boston — the Elm City’s main competitors for new companies — in terms of daily commercial flights. LaGuardia offers over 1,300 daily commercial flights; JFK has over 1,100; Boston’s Logan Airport has close to 1,000; Tweed has six.
Tweed officials estimate that adding direct flights to Chicago and Washington, D.C. would create about 1,000 local jobs and pump $122 million into the local economy, while adding $4.5 million in state and local tax revenue annually.
Tweed, originally called New Haven Municipal Airport, opened in 1931 on 220 acres of land straddling New Haven and East Haven. The airport was renamed Tweed-New Haven Airport in 1961, in honor of Jack Tweed, the airport’s first manager.
In the 1990s, Tweed offered direct jet service to Chicago, which was discontinued as major airlines consolidated service in large hub airports. In recent years, newer airlines have shown interest in developing service in underused regional airports, such as Tweed. American Airlines recently added limited service to Charlotte, N.C.
Residents near the airport have long feared that an expansion would bring more traffic and noise. In 2009, New Haven and East Haven signed a Memorandum of Agreement that limits the main runway length at Tweed to 5,600 feet and also limits annual boardings at Tweed to 180,000. The General Assembly wrote the 5,600-foot limit into state law in 2009. In January, Mayor Harp terminated New Haven’s Memorandum of Agreement to enable discussions with airlines that have expressed interest in establishing service at Tweed if the runway were extended to 6,600 feet. Rep. Lemar also introduced legislation to repeal the runway limit.
If the runway restriction is repealed, Tweed airport still would be required to complete an environmental assessment and secure approval for an extended runway from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA would also provide most of the funds for the construction. A longer runway would not require any change in the boundaries of the airport, officials said.
Critics say the limits on runway length — and the accompanying limitations for flights — have a negative effect on economic growth in the region. It can have a particularly chilling effect on technology-based companies that originate in New Haven.
Yale scientist Craig Crews, founder of the New Haven-based biotech startup Arvinas LLC, is a vocal supporter of runway expansion at Tweed. Arvinas became a publicly traded company last year and has more than 100 employees.
“I feel strongly about this. I often hear the unfortunate comments about how difficult it is to access our community,” said Crews, who is the Lewis Cullman Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale, and professor of chemistry and pharmacology. “Connectivity is important for investors, for current and future employees, and for vendors. There’s a need for ease of connectivity that this type of expansion in infrastructure would allow. It is worth doing.”
Jon Soderstrom, managing director of the Office of Cooperative Research at Yale (OCR), said he has observed the continuing challenge of keeping Yale-based startups in the region. Soderstrom noted that in 2018 alone, Yale OCR launched 11 faculty new ventures, with $36 million in aggregate funding. In addition, 40 prospective startups had meetings with investors last year, a 43% increase from 2017.
Jacob said improving transportation — including local transit and commuter rail, in addition to air service — is crucial for growing New Haven’s economy and creating jobs. It provides more choices, he said, both for people deciding where they can work and for employers trying to gain access to a larger talent pool. He noted, for example, that Yale has joined others in calling for much faster train service to New York City.
“The impact on New Haven, Bridgeport, and Stamford would be dramatic,” Jacob said. “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.”
