Regional Air Service Study

For more than a decade, the Council has supported efforts to increase the utilization of New England’s regional airports, both as a means of relieving the growth in demand at Logan Airport and to stimulate economic activity in the areas around the regional airports.

A study administered by The New England Council in 1995 identified “leakage” from the regional airports — that is, the number of passengers that were by-passing a closer regional airport in favor of using Logan or one of the New York City airports. The study also identified specific markets that could profitably be served from the regional airports.

The Council also commissioned the Economic Development Research Group to study the economic impact of Logan Airport with an additional special section that examined the impact of September 11, 2001.

With the support and leadership of the Federal Aviation Administration and Massport, the 1995 study is being updated to reflect current and projected aviation activities in New England. The Council has once again been asked to play a key role in this effort.

The New England Regional Aviation System Plan began last year with a 20-year regional forecast of aviation activity and the development of an Airport Choice Model to allocate demand to individual airports. This will be followed by a broad evaluation of facilities required by each airport to meet potential demand. The study will also include a sensitivity analysis to provide a perspective on the relative importance of different factors that influence the system

• The New England Regional Airport System Plan