The state’s business community got a dose of good news recently when the Connecticut Airport Authority officially was granted its pilot license to take over control of Bradley International Airport and five other state-owned airports.
Transferring authority of Bradley, a significantly underutilized economic development asset, from the Department of Transportation to an independent agency should help sidestep a bureaucratic decision making process that hasn’t moved fast enough to respond to airlines and businesses.
Still, CAA’s task won’t be easy, particularly at a time when small-to-midsize airports are seeing fewer flights and seats. Just last week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that Bradley’s 2012 passenger count slipped by 4.5 percent.
The CAA must focus on three core growth areas. First, they need to reverse the declining passenger counts by adding more flights and carriers. Some progress has been made this year with the addition of nonstop flights to Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Florida. But Bradley needs to expand its U.S. reach further to the south and west coasts, locations where many Connecticut companies operate or do business in.
CAA must also bring back an international flight beyond North America. Europe is one of Connecticut’s top trading partners, yet Bradley doesn’t have a direct flight to any European country. This limits potential trade growth. It also gives international firms more reason to consider Boston or New York for their U.S. locations.
Finally, CAA must focus on further developing the business district around Bradley, which could become a significant logistics hub. In 2010 state lawmakers expanded the Bradley Development Zone to provide greater economic incentives for businesses to locate in the region, yet few deals have been announced.
It’s that kind of inactivity that has plagued Bradley Airport for years. Hopefully a more agile, business savvy decision-making body can reverse course.
Electric vehicle cure
Compared to most state government initiatives, Connecticut’s $200,000 investment to finance the doubling of electric vehicle charging stations is a drop in the bucket.
Yet, this latest effort in the state’s energy plan seems to be putting the cart before the horse. There can’t be more than a few hundred electric vehicles (EVs) operating in Connecticut. Increasing the number of publicly available charging stations from 81 to 200 seems excessive.
But when it comes to switching the driving public away from gas powered vehicles, the state must be proactive. Having EV infrastructure out and visible should encourage more drivers to pick EVs when they switch out their current vehicles. The idea of curing range anxiety — the concern that EVs will run out of juice before reaching a station to recharge — can’t be understated. It’s also a plus that the incentive program focuses on lifetime costs rather than upfront costs. EVs may be more expensive to buy than gas guzzlers, but their fuel costs are less than half regular unleaded. Convincing motorists to think long term certainly is worth $200,000.
