Jan. 8—WINDHAM — Windham Airport will be receiving $158,000 through the first round of funding under the new federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
Under the law, the Federal Aviation Administration is providing $ 612,000 in funding for the three regional airports in eastern Connecticut: Windham, Danielson and Groton- New London airports.
The Windham Airport funding will be used to acquire easements necessary to make airfield improvements and expand.
" The general aviation airports are kind of these hidden gems in Connecticut and we're fortunate in Windham to have one of them," Windham Economic Development Director Jim Bellano said.
Windham Airport is a general aviation airport that sits on 280 acres in North Windham.
The airport, which is available for public use and is publicly owned, serves small and medium general aviation aircraft.
It has two asphalt runways that are 4,200 feet and 2,700 feet long, as well as self- service aircraft fueling facilities, aircraft parking aprons, T-hangars and storage for larger aircraft hangars, aircraft maintenance and repair, propeller overhaul, aircraft sales and a weather station.
"This is great news for our regional airports in Windham, Danielson and Groton and for all the local businesses and workers who utilize them," U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney, D- 2nd District, said in a press release announcing the IIJA funding this week.
" Our regional airports are responsible for helping eastern Connecticut businesses produce millions of dollars in economic output each year and now funding through our bipartisan infrastructure bill is going to help them grow and become even more efficient."
In addition to the IIJA funding, Windham Airport also received $ 32,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was awarded last year.
The Connecticut Airport Authority's website indicates Windham Airport provides 120 jobs and $ 15.2 million of economic output.
" Anything we can do for the airport is good
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for the Town of Windham," Windham Town Manager Jim Rivers said.
Windham Mayor Thomas DeVivo spoke about the value of the airport to the community and his gratitude to Courtney for his assistance getting the funding, as well as his support for other endeavors.
" We are fortunate to have Joe (Courtney) as a congressman," he said. The funding is expected to help the Connecticut Airport Authority, who run the airport, make progress on the airport's 20- year master plan, which was issued in 2015.
That plan involves a self- servicing station, runway extension to facilitate more jets and construct/ replace a terminal building, among other projects.
DeVivo said the self-serve station, which was installed in 2015, was a "big improvement" at the airport.
" That was paramount to the success of the airport," he said.
Bellano said Windham Airport is an " under- utilized asset" and they have been holding open houses recently to showcase the airport to the general public.
He said those open houses have been well- attended, noting the best- attended open house was the event in 2019, which attracted more than 1,000 people.
However, Bellano said the momentum slowed when the pandemic hit and after three years, the open houses stopped, with the last one held in 2019.
" Hopefully, this year, we'll get back to having them," Rivers said.
He said the fixed base operator, Windham Air Services, " changed the culture" at the airport when it took over in 2016.
At that point, it had been four years since the airport had a fixed- base operator.
A fixed-base operator is a commercial business granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance and flight instruction.
The same business is also the fixed- base operator at Brainard Airport in Hartford, albeit under a different name — Hartford Jet Center.
Rivers spoke of the progress that has been made at the airport over the years.
" The airport has changed a lot in the last four or five years," he said. "It seems like they have more air traffic in and out of there."
Follow Michelle Warren on Twitter — @mwarrentc.
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