BRIDGEPORT — When Mayor Joe Ganim took office six years ago his administration initially wanted to get out of the business of running a municipal airport that was continually operating in the red.
And that option, which was abandoned, now appears back on the table for the city-owned, Stratford-based Sikorsky Memorial. On Tuesday Gov. Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Airport Authority revealed the latter is exploring playing a big role at the facility in order to return commercial passenger service there and ensure the airport has a viable future.
“This is an exciting moment for the City of Bridgeport and the Connecticut Airport Authority,” Lamont said in a statement. “The easier it is for travelers to reach our state, the stronger it makes our state’s economy and contributes to tourism. These steps are necessary to ensure the growth at Sikorsky is sustainable and that we are maximizing this transportation asset to the fullest extent possible.”
The term “takeover” was not used. But, according to the news release, Bridgeport City Hall and the CAA are “discussing the possibility of the CAA providing advisory services or even entering into a lease agreement and directly investing into the facility to ensure ... the resources necessary to capitalize on available state and federal funds.”
The authority was created a decade ago to manage Bradley International in Windsor Locks and five other state-owned airports — Danielson, Groton/New London, Hartford/Brainard, Waterbury/Oxford and Windham — and get them off the Department of Transportation’s books.
Sikorsky, which typically runs at a half-million-dollar deficit that impacts Bridgeport’s annual budget, is not currently part of...
from News https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/State-airport-authority-may-take-over-running-16625713.php
No comments:
Post a Comment