Tweed Airport Authority taps new executive director

A veteran airport manager who most recently worked at Nantucket Memorial Airport in Massachusetts has been named the new executive director of New Haven’s Tweed New Haven Airport.

Thomas M. Rafter will take over from outgoing airport director Sean Scanlon, recently elected to the post of Connecticut state comptroller. Rafter assumes his new role in January. 

John Picard, chairman of the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority, said, “At a time of significant growth and progress, we’re confident that Tom will be an excellent leader for Tweed New Haven Airport, continuing the transformational work done under Sean Scanlon.” 

Rafter most recently held the post of airport manager at Nantucket Memorial Airport, where he worked for 10 years. Prior to that, he was airport director at Atlantic City International Airport, which he worked at for three decades.  

Nantucket’s airport, which is closed to most airlines during the winter, saw 139,143 passengers in fiscal 2022, a 93.77% increase over fiscal 2021 and a 3.14% increase over pre-pandemic fiscal 2019.

“I plan to work closely [with] Avelo Airlines, our operator Avports, and our neighboring community members to help deliver flyers a top-notch experience,” Rafter said. 

Avelo Airlines launched service at Tweed in November of 2021 and announced it had flown more than 500,000 passengers to and from the airport as of October of this year, a 1,150% jump from Tweed’s passenger numbers from 2019, its last full year of pre-pandemic air service. 

Airport operator Avports plans to build a new terminal and additional parking facilities at the airport, which straddles the New Haven-East Haven border.

East Haven officials have spoken out in opposition to the expansion citing traffic and noise concerns, but Mayor Joseph A. Carfora recently praised a new partnership with the airport and Avelo on an aerospace program planned for town middle-school students. 

Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.