"We do not believe Bradley's traffic would be impacted in any meaningful way by promoting service at Groton-New London."
Kevin Dillon
The Connecticut Airport Authority is talking to Southeastern businesses to get a sense of the level of interest in a resumption of scheduled flights to and from Groton-New London Airport.
Airport Authority Director Kevin Dillon says once he’s gathered the information, he can present it to the airlines. "When I can walk into an airline and show a sizable travel budget in the aggregate, from a number of sizable businesses in that section of the state, that’s a powerful argument to make to an airline," said Dillon.
Dillon says the airport has adequate facilities, and might be able to provide free parking. The airport has retained what’s known as a "Part 139 certification," which allows it to provide scheduled service for planes carrying nine to 31 passengers. That means it wouldn’t be able to offer long-haul flights, but might be able to serve closer airports, like Philadelphia, or Washington D.C. He sees a lot of synergy between the area and Washington, because of the Electric Boat shipyard and the Coast Guard Academy.
Dillon says business travel would be the basis for starting scheduled service, but he sees possibilities for recreational travelers as well.
As for how it might affect current service at Bradley Airport in Windsor Locks and T.F. Greene in Warwick, Rhode Island?
"We do not believe Bradley’s traffic would be impacted in any meaningful way by promoting service at Groton-New London," said Dillon. "As to the impact of T.F. Greene, that remains to be seen, as to what level of commercial service could be established at Groton-New London."
There’s no timetable for when any new service might start.