Opinion: Cape Cod Gateway Airport 20-year master plan is key to economic growth
Cape Cod Gateway Airport, serving the Cape, Islands and beyond, is an arrival and departure point for tourists, residents, seasonal homeowners, emergency medical transportation, cargo and commerce. Apart from our 88-year-old bridges, it is our sole link with the larger world.
Scheduled air service out of Hyannis began in 1931. The Army Air Corps flew submarine reconnaissance flights out of the airport during World War II. The Navy also used the airfield to train bomber pilots; one of whom was future President George H. W. Bush.
In the enviable position of reaping the benefits of the airport, and incurring very little of the cost associated, the town of Barnstable serves as steward of what is a 95-year-old facility. We are entrusted with the airport’s evolution and continued success. The town is also faced with a difficult balance of action. We must pave the way for the future while protecting the needs of the present. In achieving this goal, the airport manager and seven-member airport commission remain dedicated to a balanced approach.
The airport has embarked on a 20-year master plan to ensure the facility continues to meet the needs of both the National Airspace System and the surrounding community. The master plan is required by the Federal Aviation Administration, including upgrades to existing infrastructure. Necessary improvements at Cape Cod Gateway require the extension of a runway and improvement to several taxiways on airport grounds. It is important to note that the runway expansion will be constructed entirely on existing airport property.
More than a few concerned citizens ask, why take these steps when passenger travel at the airport is down to approximately 30,000 per year compared with a one-time high of nearly 200,000? The answer is that despite a recent downturn in traffic, the airport will increasingly play an important role in our lives in the coming years.
How? In a number of ways. Did you know 40,000 Cape residents fly to Florida year-round? Right now, we’re losing that business and economic catalyst to traffic-clogged airports in Providence and Boston. There is demand meanwhile to access Cape Cod from other parts of the country. In addition to JetBlue, which already connects to New York City out of Hyannis, American Airlines will provide service to Cape Cod in the coming year to and from New York City and Washington, D.C.
What else? The post-pandemic Boston exodus will continue, swelling the Cape’s year-round population. Additionally, we have yet to realize the full impact of a retiring baby boom generation. An aging population prompts other concerns. MedFlight evacuations to Boston are essential. There’s more.
Trends in online commerce
Trends in online commerce predict further growth. There will be an increasing need to deliver a greater volume of merchandise closer to its destination, and more quickly.
All these trends spell greater economic vitality for the region. It will take time, but the benefits will most certainly be realized by the next generation. As comfortable as it can seem to preserve the status quo, we need to be aware we may do so at the expense of the future.
The hope is that by keeping these points in mind, we might better recognize the positives in developing the airport to its full potential. Cape Cod Gateway supports over 1,700 jobs on-site and across associated businesses. Several businesses associated with the airport are longstanding employers. The airport generates considerable revenue for the town ($157 million in economic output) while exacting almost zero burden on the existing tax base. Operating as an enterprise fund within the town, the airport is a self-supporting entity.
Give credit where credit is due
Let’s have a productive dialogue. The airport is committed to working with the community. Give them credit where credit is due. They have been transparent at every turn. Every effort has been and will be made to ensure the impact is minimized. Via a series of public meetings designed for the express purpose of welcoming input, visual aids have shown how increased runway length will allow planes to gain altitude faster, thereby actually alleviating noise concerns. What are called “declared distances” of aircraft runway use have been agreed upon to favor the community, not aviation. Public opinion has already steered the course of plan parameters as the management of Cape Cod Gateway continues to go the extra mile to address concerns while moving forward.
If more of us strive to understand the importance of Cape Cod Gateway Airport as an investment in our future, the community only stands to benefit. As vice chairperson of the Barnstable Airport Commission, I look forward as does the entire commission to working closely with members of the community and local civic organizations to ensure the modernization and continued success of this unique and important regional asset.
John Flores of Cummaquid is a member of the Cape Cod Community College Board of Trustees in addition to being an airport commissioner, and is a former Barnstable Town Councilor.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Opinion: Cape Cod Gateway Airport losing business to Boston, Providence
