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March 30, 2020

Dillon says quiet Bradley Airport could benefit from $2T federal stimulus

Photo | Contributed Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks.
By Sean Teehan

A $2-trillion stimulus package Congress passed last week could provide Bradley International Airport aid at a time when airlines and passengers are canceling flights amid fears of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 virus, Bradley's overseer says.

During a Friday afternoon board of directors meeting for the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), which oversees Bradley, CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon touted an element of the legislation that provides $10 billion to airports, $7.4 billion of which has few strings attached.

"They're not restricting the money for capital projects or operating expenses, it can be spent on anything that we lawfully have to spend money on here at the airport," Dillon said.

Photo | Contributed
CT Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin Dillon.

Half of that money will be allocated based on 2018 employment levels, and the other half will be distributed based on the amount of debt and reserves airports have, Dillon said.

Dillon said the $58 billion allocated to passenger and cargo airlines will support hard-hit air travel companies, and require organizations that accept bailout money to maintain at least 90% of payroll staff through the end of 2020.

Bradley has seen a significant dropoff in passenger traffic amid the COVID-19 crisis -- as much as a 90% decrease on some days. Dillon told board members Friday that the airport's numbers aren't unique.

"The drop in activity here at Bradley mirrors very very closely what's happening at airports all around the country and particularly in Boston and New York," Dillon said.

However, Bradley's cargo business has seen very little disruption, Dillon said. The airport's cargo business has grown significantly in recent years, especially with Pinnacle Logistics, which ships packages for Amazon, moving into the airport in 2018.

Cargo volume at Bradley spiked by 24.5% in 2019 to 367 pounds of materials shipped.
Bradley, which receives rental and landing fees from freight carriers operating on its grounds, recorded $9.2 million in cargo-related revenue in 2018. By comparison, it earned only $2.9 million in fiscal 2017, which ran from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.

But non-essential capital projects at Bradley have been put on-hold, Dillon told CAA board members Friday.

"Some projects will continue on, because they're required for regulatory purposes, or safety and security," Dillon said. "Others we will partially defer… and then other projects have outright been discontinued for the time being."

It was not immediately clear if that includes the airport’s $210-million ground transportation center project, which broke ground last July.

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