Tweed-New Haven Airport
Encyclopedia
Tweed New Haven Regional Airport , formerly known as Tweed-New Haven Airport, is a public airport
located three miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district
of New Haven, Connecticut
, United States
. Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is currently owned by the City of New Haven. The airport property is located within New Haven and the town of East Haven
. It is one of two airports in Connecticut
with air carrier service, the other being Bradley International Airport
in Windsor Locks.
Air service was provided by American Airlines, beginning service in the 1930s, and later by Allegheny Airlines.
Competing for New Haven's air travelers was Groton/New London based Pilgrim Airlines, also operating flights to New York/JFK and LaGuardia, as well as Boston, using Twin Otters and F-27 aircraft. By the mid 1980s, the two competing Connecticut based airlines merged together, and then was purchased by Hartford based Business Express Airlines, which was initially flying only from Brainard Airport to Boston and Philadelphia.
In 1987, Hyannis MA based Provincetown-Boston Airlines
(PBA), which operated as a commuter airline for Peoplexpress Airlines
and then Continental Airlines
, began service at New Haven. PBA operated flights from Tweed to Continental's hub at Newark International Airport, as well as Hyannis and Nantucket MA, using EMB-110 aircraft.
US Air Express also provided service to Philadelphia and Washington DC.
In the 1990s, new jet service was added from New Haven to Chicago-O'Hare, initially using Air Wisconsin's BAE-146 aircraft as a "United Express" carrier. Soon after, United replaced the Air Wisconsin service with its own 737 aircraft. The service was short lived, with United likely realizing that the service only competed with its own service from Hartford's Bradley International Airport
. Continental Express service continued, and was upgraded to Beech-1900 and ATR-42 aircraft; while Business Express flights upgraded to Saab-340 and Beech-1900s.
By the late 1990s, Business Express service ended, as it put its Saab-340s out of service, after is acquisition by AMR Corporation. Continental Express service ended for a while in the 1990s, then came back, and then left again by the late 1990s.
The airport was also served by Comair
, a Delta Connection
carrier that offered service to and from Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport. This service was discontinued in January 2006.
Pan Am Clipper Connection, which was operated by Boston-Maine Airways, began non-stop service to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
, Hanscom Field
, and Pease International Airport
on March 8, 2007 using 19 seat Jetstream 31 aircraft. Service was discontinued on 30 July 2007.
This then left the US Air Express service as the lone survivor of scheduled air service at Tweed.
, which formerly flew from New Haven to both Philadelphia
and Reagan National Airport
in Washington, D.C.
, now is the only passenger airline that offers daily flights in and out of Tweed New Haven to Philadelphia. The airport is also popular with both private aircraft and companies providing flights for tourists who want to view the Connecticut shoreline
from the air.
During major events at Yale University
, the general aviation
ramp is often crowded with private jets - during the 1997 commencement, the corporate jets of Coca Cola and Procter & Gamble
were parked nose to nose on the tarmac
. The airport also gets heavy use during the annual New Haven Open at Yale tennis tournament.
Today the airport is operated by AvPorts of Teterboro, New Jersey, under contract by the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority.
Public transit to the airport is available on Connecticut Transit's "G" route.
The future of the airport has been the subject of disagreement between the City of New Haven and the Town of East Haven. New Haven has advocated airport runway expansion, which would be required to attract more commercial air service and larger planes. However, many East Haven residents have been opposed, alleging that expansion would negatively affect the mostly residential neighborhoods surrounding the airport.
In 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration
and the State of Connecticut approved the proposed addition of safety overruns to Tweed's main runway. The City of New Haven issued the necessary wetlands and building permits for the project. However, officials in the town of East Haven voted to reject the upgrade proposal and deny permits for work on the East Haven (North) side; the Airport Authority and the City of New Haven filed a lawsuit
against the Town of East Haven to allow for work to proceed on the north overrun and won.
Since the lawsuit, The Airport Authority has completed the necessary work for the $25 million safety overruns on the New Haven (south) side of the airport, as well as the East Haven (north) side.
On March 16, 2009, the New Haven and East Haven announced that an agreement had been reached, keeping the main runway at 5,600 feet, with all obstructions in the approach zones to be removed. Departures are to be capped at 30 per day, with a passenger cap of 180,000 boardings per year.
paved runway
s: 2/20 measuring 5,600 x 150 ft (1,707 x 46 m) and 14/32 measuring 3,626 x 100 ft (1,105 x 30 m). During the 1990s, United Airlines service included Boeing 737s operating on the longer runway. In order to obtain take-off speed with these jets on full flights, it was not uncommon for passengers and/or luggage to be offloaded to reduce weight, or for the pilots to wait on the runway for a favorable wind.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 41,231 aircraft operations, an average of 113 per day: 91% general aviation
, <1% air taxi
, 2% military, and 7% scheduled commercial. There are 72 aircraft based at this airport: 86% single engine, 7% multi-engine and 7% jet aircraft.
A Convair CV-240-O operated by American Airlines with eight passengers destined for Bridgeport Airport crashed on the runway after the landing gear was retracted before the aircraft had lifted off. The plane landed on its belly and a small engine fire occurred. There were no injuries.
7 June 1971
A Convair CV-580 operated by Allegheny Airlines
with 30 passengers arriving from Groton-New London Airport
crashed, striking cottages located 4890 feet (1,490.5 m) from the runway. Twenty-eight occupants died. It was determined that pilot error was the cause.
7 January 2011
A Bombardier
Dash 8-100, operating as Piedmont Airlines
flight 4507 from Philadelphia International Airport
to New Haven was struck by lightning over the Long Island Sound
. The captain reported electrical problems and diverted safely to Long Island Macarthur Airport
due to more favorable weather conditions. The aircraft had 33 passengers aboard who were then bussed to New Haven.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three miles (5 km) southeast of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is currently owned by the City of New Haven. The airport property is located within New Haven and the town of East Haven
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
. It is one of two airports in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
with air carrier service, the other being Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
in Windsor Locks.
History
Tweed was dedicated on August 29, 1931, as the New Haven Municipal Airport. It was renamed Tweed in 1961 in honor of John H. Tweed, its first airport manager.Air service was provided by American Airlines, beginning service in the 1930s, and later by Allegheny Airlines.
1970s and 1980s
In the 1970s and 1980s the "major carriers" left New Haven to focus service at larger airports. Regional or "commuter" carriers grew to fill the gaps left by major airlines. Fixed Base Operator "New Haven Airways" started providing scheduled air service to fill the void, and became New Haven's home town airline, NewAir. The airline operated flights to New York's JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington International, and Washington National Airports, using Twin Otters, EMB-110s, and Shorts-360s.Competing for New Haven's air travelers was Groton/New London based Pilgrim Airlines, also operating flights to New York/JFK and LaGuardia, as well as Boston, using Twin Otters and F-27 aircraft. By the mid 1980s, the two competing Connecticut based airlines merged together, and then was purchased by Hartford based Business Express Airlines, which was initially flying only from Brainard Airport to Boston and Philadelphia.
In 1987, Hyannis MA based Provincetown-Boston Airlines
Provincetown-Boston Airlines
Provincetown-Boston Airline , or better known as PBA, was an airline that operated between 1949 and 1989. The airline operated a route network in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and at one time was the largest commuter airline in the United States before its purchase by People...
(PBA), which operated as a commuter airline for Peoplexpress Airlines
Peoplexpress Airlines
People Express Airlines, stylized as PEOPLExpress, also known as People Express Travel, was a U.S. no-frills airline that operated from 1981 to 1987, when it merged into Continental Airlines...
and then Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, began service at New Haven. PBA operated flights from Tweed to Continental's hub at Newark International Airport, as well as Hyannis and Nantucket MA, using EMB-110 aircraft.
US Air Express also provided service to Philadelphia and Washington DC.
In the 1990s, new jet service was added from New Haven to Chicago-O'Hare, initially using Air Wisconsin's BAE-146 aircraft as a "United Express" carrier. Soon after, United replaced the Air Wisconsin service with its own 737 aircraft. The service was short lived, with United likely realizing that the service only competed with its own service from Hartford's Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
. Continental Express service continued, and was upgraded to Beech-1900 and ATR-42 aircraft; while Business Express flights upgraded to Saab-340 and Beech-1900s.
By the late 1990s, Business Express service ended, as it put its Saab-340s out of service, after is acquisition by AMR Corporation. Continental Express service ended for a while in the 1990s, then came back, and then left again by the late 1990s.
The airport was also served by Comair
Comair
Comair is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines headquartered on the grounds of Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport in unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States, west of Erlanger, and south of Cincinnati, Ohio...
, a Delta Connection
Delta Connection
Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
carrier that offered service to and from Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport. This service was discontinued in January 2006.
Pan Am Clipper Connection, which was operated by Boston-Maine Airways, began non-stop service to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is an international airport serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. It is commonly called BWI, BWI Airport or BWI Marshall, BWI being an initialism for "Baltimore/Washington International" and the...
, Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field , also known by its full name Laurence G. Hanscom Field, is a public airport located in Bedford, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority....
, and Pease International Airport
Pease International Airport
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease is a public-use joint civil-military airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Portsmouth, a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States...
on March 8, 2007 using 19 seat Jetstream 31 aircraft. Service was discontinued on 30 July 2007.
This then left the US Air Express service as the lone survivor of scheduled air service at Tweed.
Present day
US Airways ExpressUS Airways Express
US Airways Express is an airline brand name, rather than a fully certified airline, and as such, the US Airways Express name is used by several individually owned airlines or airline holding companies which provide regional airline and commuter service for US Airways.Operations are conducted from...
, which formerly flew from New Haven to both Philadelphia
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
and Reagan National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, now is the only passenger airline that offers daily flights in and out of Tweed New Haven to Philadelphia. The airport is also popular with both private aircraft and companies providing flights for tourists who want to view the Connecticut shoreline
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
from the air.
During major events at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, the general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
ramp is often crowded with private jets - during the 1997 commencement, the corporate jets of Coca Cola and Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
were parked nose to nose on the tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
. The airport also gets heavy use during the annual New Haven Open at Yale tennis tournament.
Today the airport is operated by AvPorts of Teterboro, New Jersey, under contract by the Tweed-New Haven Airport Authority.
Public transit to the airport is available on Connecticut Transit's "G" route.
The future of the airport has been the subject of disagreement between the City of New Haven and the Town of East Haven. New Haven has advocated airport runway expansion, which would be required to attract more commercial air service and larger planes. However, many East Haven residents have been opposed, alleging that expansion would negatively affect the mostly residential neighborhoods surrounding the airport.
In 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
and the State of Connecticut approved the proposed addition of safety overruns to Tweed's main runway. The City of New Haven issued the necessary wetlands and building permits for the project. However, officials in the town of East Haven voted to reject the upgrade proposal and deny permits for work on the East Haven (North) side; the Airport Authority and the City of New Haven filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against the Town of East Haven to allow for work to proceed on the north overrun and won.
Since the lawsuit, The Airport Authority has completed the necessary work for the $25 million safety overruns on the New Haven (south) side of the airport, as well as the East Haven (north) side.
On March 16, 2009, the New Haven and East Haven announced that an agreement had been reached, keeping the main runway at 5,600 feet, with all obstructions in the approach zones to be removed. Departures are to be capped at 30 per day, with a passenger cap of 180,000 boardings per year.
Facilities and aircraft
Tweed-New Haven Airport covers an area of 394 acres (159.4 ha) which contains two asphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 2/20 measuring 5,600 x 150 ft (1,707 x 46 m) and 14/32 measuring 3,626 x 100 ft (1,105 x 30 m). During the 1990s, United Airlines service included Boeing 737s operating on the longer runway. In order to obtain take-off speed with these jets on full flights, it was not uncommon for passengers and/or luggage to be offloaded to reduce weight, or for the pilots to wait on the runway for a favorable wind.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 41,231 aircraft operations, an average of 113 per day: 91% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, <1% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
, 2% military, and 7% scheduled commercial. There are 72 aircraft based at this airport: 86% single engine, 7% multi-engine and 7% jet aircraft.
Airlines and destinations
Incidents
1 March 1958A Convair CV-240-O operated by American Airlines with eight passengers destined for Bridgeport Airport crashed on the runway after the landing gear was retracted before the aircraft had lifted off. The plane landed on its belly and a small engine fire occurred. There were no injuries.
7 June 1971
A Convair CV-580 operated by Allegheny Airlines
Allegheny Airlines
Allegheny Airlines was an airline operating out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979. It was a forerunner of today’s US Airways. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia....
with 30 passengers arriving from Groton-New London Airport
Groton-New London Airport
Groton-New London Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles southeast of the central business district of Groton, a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States...
crashed, striking cottages located 4890 feet (1,490.5 m) from the runway. Twenty-eight occupants died. It was determined that pilot error was the cause.
7 January 2011
A Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
Dash 8-100, operating as Piedmont Airlines
Piedmont Airlines
Piedmont Airlines is an American regional airline operating for US Airways Express. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Airways Group, headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury, it conducts flight operations using De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft...
flight 4507 from Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
to New Haven was struck by lightning over the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
. The captain reported electrical problems and diverted safely to Long Island Macarthur Airport
Long Island MacArthur Airport
Long Island MacArthur Airport, formerly known as Islip Airport is a public airport located on Long Island, in Ronkonkoma, Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is seven miles northeast of the central business district of Islip hamlet...
due to more favorable weather conditions. The aircraft had 33 passengers aboard who were then bussed to New Haven.
See also
- Hartford-Brainard AirportHartford-Brainard Airport- See also :* Bradley International Airport * Connecticut World War II Army Airfields- External links :* at Connecticut DOT website...
(HFD) - Westover Metropolitan AirportWestover Metropolitan AirportFor the military airport use of this facility, see Westover Joint Air Reserve BaseWestover Metropolitan Airport is a civilian airline, and general aviation airport located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee, Granby, and Ludlow, near the cities of Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts...
(CEF) - Previously marketed by Skybus AirlinesSkybus AirlinesSkybus Airlines Inc. was a privately held airline based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It operated as an ultra-low-cost carrier modeled after the European airline Ryanair, and aimed to be the least expensive airline in the United States...
as "Hartford (Chicopee, MA)", however due to the collapse of Skybus AirlinesSkybus AirlinesSkybus Airlines Inc. was a privately held airline based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It operated as an ultra-low-cost carrier modeled after the European airline Ryanair, and aimed to be the least expensive airline in the United States...
in April 2008, the passenger terminal is currently empty. - Bradley International AirportBradley International AirportBradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
(BDL)
External links
- Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (official website)
- President Kennedy at Tweed New Haven Airport