Tweed New Haven Airport 43-Year Lease With Avports Approved By Board

NEW HAVEN, CT — The 43-year lease that will allow the expansion of Tweed New Haven Airport was inked late Wednesday afternoon.

The airport authority board of directors formally voted to authorize a new lease and management agreement between the airport and Avports LLC.

In a news release from Tweed executive director Sean Scanlon, it's noted that the action is the "latest step in a process that began more than a year ago."

In May 2021, it was announced that the airport would undergo a $100 million expansion to include "new, carbon neutral-terminal"and a runway expansion. The just-inked lease eliminates the need for the existing $1.8 million in state and city subsidies, per Scanlon. Read that story here.

In Scanlon's news release, it's noted that the new lease agreement includes the construction of the terminal on the east side of the airport.

East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora issued a statement immediately after the vote reminding residents that he is "against the expansion to the East Haven side."

"I have said all along that I wanted to be a good neighbor, but it's simply not possible given the way this lease is being handled," he said. "Our town has signed nothing. We have agreed to nothing."

In addition to the new terminal will come an extension of the runway to accommodate Avelo Airlines flights to Florida, the Carolina's and other southern states, the mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest.

Also slated are infrastructure improvements, traffic and safety studies and "community investments of approximately $5 million for noise, traffic, and environmental mitigation."

East Haven mayor says the town will suffer as a result

"I have asked consistently for a shared burden and our requests have been uniformly denied," he said.

"This agreement is being rushed, meetings and engagement were limited leading up to this vote using COVID-19 and remote meetings in order to limit transparency," he charged.

Tuesday, as reported by Patch, the town had asked for a copy of the proposed preliminary lease on Aug. 10. Scanlon denied the request. Four days later, on a Sunday, 270 pages of documents were finally sent. But the Airport Authority had a special meeting on the lease set for early the following morning. Carfora was furious.

"There was not enough time for any of our board members to fully digest and seek interpretation on what is contained in this document or its impact on the town," he said.

"It doesn't take an expert to see that there is not a shared burden," he said. "East Haven takes it on the chin while we will inherit all the traffic, transient population, parking headaches, ecological strip-mining, noise, pollution, and burden on our already taxed public safety departments that will come with this project. All while at the same time giving New Haven most of the economic benefit, serving at the behest of Yale and Goldman Sachs."

"We have hired specialized counsel, and federal aviation counsel," he said, adding "All avenues will be taken to protect our community."

"East Haven is not afraid of a street fight. We never have been. But it is clear that Picard, Scanlon, and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker have partnered with Yale, Avports, and Goldman Sachs to create a plan that not only hurts the quality of life in East Haven, but also the quality of life for an entire section of the City of New Haven."

Wednesday, in preparation for the expected outcome of the vote, Town Attorney Michael Luzzi sent Scanlon and Picard a litigation-hold letter to "preserve any and all communications regarding this matter, and most importantly everything leading up to it," Carfora said.

Patch made a Freedom of Information request for that letter. It was received Wednesday night. In it, Luzzi asserts that Scanlon "colluded" —in a laundry list of misdeeds related to Tweed —with the Airport Authority and others.

Read the letter here:

East Haven 'Preservatio... by Ellyn Santiago

Patch reached out to Picard Tuesday for comment, but did not receive a reply.

Meanwhile, Scanlon, Picard and Elicker made statements lauding the new lease deal.

• “An improved Tweed will provide the air service that Southern Connecticut has asked for, and it will spur continued economic development and job growth along the way," Scanlon said. "We have more steps ahead and will continue working with all our local partners as this successful project proceeds.”
• Chairman of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, and former West Haven mayor Picard said the "focus in expanding the airport is to offer people more choices and more destinations, while remaining convenient and an economic driver for our local communities."
• Elicker called the lease deal, "One more important step forward towards ensuring long-term stability at Tweed Airport that will grow our local economy, provide high-quality travel options for residents, good-paying jobs for families, and address critical noise, traffic, safety and financial concerns as well."