Telegram Editorial

I predicted yesterday that we would see an Editorial after the Master Plan Meeting on Wednesday praising the plan and that we are on the "right track". I WAS WRONG, the Editorial came out today, two days before the meeting. Here it is:

Flight path

Demand-driven airport plan is cause for optimism

Don’t expect any eye-popping new direction for Worcester Regional Airport in the master plan to be presented at a public meeting on Wednesday. If Worcester has learned anything during its long-running debate over the municipal airport, it is that pursuing a magical formula to transform the underutilized facility into a bustling air transportation hub is counterproductive and futile.

In that context, there is reason for optimism about the action plan for the airport the city administration and Airport Commission have crafted in collaboration with federal aviation officials and, most notably, the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates the airport.

The master plan properly views scheduled commercial service not only in terms of what might be considered ideal by local officials, but also within the framework of air transportation across the region. It properly focuses not on competing head-on with other New England airports but on identifying and pursuing underserved niche markets and finding ways to complement service provided elsewhere.

Implicit in the plan’s recommendations is the understanding that commercial service at the airport, while essential, is just one component of several that must be in place for long-term success. Consequently, the plan gives appropriate emphasis to the needs of general aviation, outlining a number of measures designed to build on the airport’s strong existing general aviation base.

Sensibly, many of the recommendations for capital improvements at the airport involve items that would benefit general aviation and commercial airlines alike: repaving the runways, improving overshot safety zones, upgrading navigational aids and the like.

The plan also lists some $31 million in improvements that potentially would be made in the long term in response to the demands of commercial, corporate and general aviation. Aside from basic infrastructure and safety measures, the lion’s share of the long-term expenditures would be financed by federal sources and private development on the 1,300-acre airport property.

Work on the airport action plan already is getting under way. Requests for development proposals — one sent out last month, another scheduled to go out in a week or two — envision hangar construction and upgraded service and amenities for corporate jet passengers and crews and small-plane enthusiasts alike.

Expanded corporate and general aviation, developed in tandem with scheduled passenger service, would go a long way toward eliminating the red ink in the airport budget and would generate substantial spinoff in aviation-related economic activity and jobs. The action plan, scheduled to be issued in its final form early next year, charts a realistic course toward realizing the airport’s potential in the region’s air transportation network.