A Flight Plan for the Future
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CCGA’S PLANS
Cape Cod Gateway Airport (CCGA) in Hyannis disclosed its Master Plan for the next 20 years in 2020. In spite of a crushing decline in passenger visits, the Airport set forth a plan of expanding Runway 15 to entice larger jets to land there. Adjacent communities immediately raised questions about the wisdom of such a move. Thus was born a grassroot movement to bring more clarity to the operation of CCGA, and surprisingly to all the other Cape Cod airports.
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A CALL TO ACTION
No regional transportation study has ever been conducted that included air travel in and out of Cape Cod’s four major airports -Cape Cod Gateway Airport, Martha’s Vineyard Airport, Nantucket Memorial Airport, and Joint Base Cape Cod. We are advocating for such a study to determine whether it is in the best interest of aviation to merge Cape Cod Gateway Airport with Joint Base Cape Cod’s airport. Such a study requires a comprehensive look at all modes of transportation to assess the best fit for all airports serving the needs across the Cape. [Listen to Ms. Ludtke’s presentation below, right.]
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MODEL SOLUTIONS
The merging of commercial and military aviation assets has been accomplished countless times across the country. The option for the merger of Cape Cod Gateway Airport and Joint Base Cape Cod’s air facilities has been proposed. Denver’s Stapleton Airport is one such example of a successful merger. Stapleton shares a similar history to Cape Cod Gateway Airport.
Please read “Stapleton Airport’s Transformation to Central Park.”
REGIONAL THOUGHT LEADERS WEIGH IN:
Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director of Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod (APCC)
“Based on the information provided in the DEIR, APCC must conclude that the objectionable loss of wetlands and critical habitat due to the filling of Upper Gate Pond and destruction of wetland buffer, combined with the absence of meaningful mitigation for the carbon sequestration loss due to tree removal, provide no path for the project [CCGA runway expansion], as currently proposed, to proceed and still be environmentally acceptable.”
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Brigadier General Christopher Faux, Executive Director of Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC)
“I can assure you that the desire to get out of the “airfield business” and become a tenant, not a landlord is a high priority for all commands on Joint Base Cape Cod. As long as the US Coast Guard and MA National Guard are provided some sort of perpetual use agreement, ownership of the airfield on JBCC is NOT a priority….and frankly is no longer desirable! We are looking to partner with an organization that will take ownership of the property and keep KFMH an active airfield. Other airfield related/compatible developmental opportunities are fine and highly encouraged.
We are NOT looking to disrupt or compete with existing regional aviation assets. On the contrary, the hope is to help augment and solidify the region’s commercial aviation industry. I believe the study you [Ms. Lutdtke] propose is a great start in identifying the appropriate way forward.”
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CRITICAL PRESENTATIONS
Hyannis Municipal Airport Expansion: Community/Climate Impacts & Regional Planning Needs
Sierra Club Cape Cod "Tuesday Talks", October 17, 2023
Presentations and discussion by Betty Ludtke, Barnstable Town Councilor and commercial airline pilot, and Alex Hatfield, representing “Stop Private Jet Expansion.” Ms. Ludtke lays out the need for a comprehensive transportation study bringing together local, regional, state, military, and federal organizations with the goal of creating a plan for sustainable, operational growth for Cape Cod and the Islands airports.
Click here to listen to Councilor Ludtke’s Presentation
copyrighted by The Sierra Club
PRESS COVERAGE
9/29/23 Boston Globe — Massport’s plan to expand private jet space at Hanscom is a climate debacle. Small private jets are intensive spewers of carbon dioxide.
5/7/23 Cod Cod Times — Move Hyannis airport operations to Otis airbase, use land for housing.
1/19/14 — Massachusetts Statewide Airport Economic Impact Study Update-EXECUTIVE SUMMARY JANUARY 2019
CITIZEN SUPPORT
This grassroot effort needs support from citizens across Cape Cod. If this issue resonates with you, we want to hear from you. Please contact our team to help keep the pressure on our local, state, and federal government representatives. Sign up for upcoming updates here.