WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) – Federal aviation officials have approved a half billion-dollar Bradley International Airport development plan with a new terminal to keep up with soaring passenger demand projected for the coming decade.
The terminal, which could be finished by 2014, would replace another dating to 1952. The overall project, which includes construction of a 3,500-space parking garage, could cost more than $500 million.
The plan was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday. It would allow Bradley to increase the number of arrival and departure gates, reserving at least two slots for international flights.
Officials said the development projects are preliminary and that revisions are possible. They have begun seeking a consultant to help evaluate size, location and design of the facilities and prepare better cost estimates.
“The biggest factor is going to be the financial end of the project,” said L. Scott Frantz, chairman of Bradley’s board of directors. “It’s critical that we live within our means.”
The projects in the master plan would be funded partly by general revenue bonds, requiring the money to be repaid by airport-generated revenue, according to the draft that was provided by the Department of Transportation and reported by The Hartford Courant on Saturday.
The bond issues would require approval of the State Bond Commission.
Like most U.S. airports, Bradley lost passengers after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But passenger growth increased last year by more than 9 percent, a record. This contrasts with the national average of between 3 percent and 4 percent, said Stephen Van Beek, vice president for policy at Airports Council International, a trade group.
By 2022, the number of passengers boarding at Bradley annually is expected to rise to more than 6 million, a 62 percent increase over the 3.7 million passengers last year, according to the airport.
Fred Carstensen, director of the University of Connecticut’s Center for Economic Analysis, said service improvements make sense, with 1 million new passengers a year translating into 10,000 new jobs in Connecticut.
“You want the quickest way to generate job growth in Connecticut?” he said. “Upgrade Bradley.”
But Carstensen questioned how much new terminal facilities would drive passenger volume. Persuading air carriers to offer scheduled service to Europe is a better bet, he said, adding that additional runways are more likely to entice them.
The latest master plan calls for no new runways by 2022.
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