The Tweed New Haven Airport Authority and the Connecticut Airport Authority are involved in a dispute over licensing rights for New Haven Tweed Airport, the US East Coast base of Avelo Airlines (XP, Burbank), according to the Connecticut Post.
Owned by the city of New Haven, the regional airport's manager has objected to being licensed by the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA), which owns and operates the competitor Hartford Bradley. New Haven Tweed Airport was licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it asserted in a statement attached to its October 18 license application to the CAA. "The nature of a competitor attempting to license another competitor [...] is concerning and goes against public policy in favour of greater competition and options for consumers. TNHAA is fully prepared to defend its interests and prevent any interference with TNHAA's duty and obligation under state and federal law to operate and manage HVN as an airport."
In response, the CAA certified Tweed's license application on October 19 and refuted the TNHAA's claims, calling them "false" and "inflammatory." "Any insinuation that the CAA factors competition into its regulatory functions is false and inflammatory. The CAA's regulatory interest is solely related to aviation safety. The CAA manages its regulatory functions evenly and fairly across the entire state airport system, and all facilities in Connecticut are expected to meet their statutory obligations regarding licensure," it added. "No other airport, heliport, restricted landing area, or other air navigation facility has taken issue with these requirements."
The dispute arose after the CAA earlier this month warned that TNHAA had been operating without a state-mandated license from the Connecticut authority since March 2022 and gave Tweed until November 3 to comply.
Despite the objection, the TNHAA board voted overwhelmingly to cooperate. According to the CAA's certification letter, Tweed's new license is valid until November 2026.
The State of Connecticut established the CAA in 2011 to operate Bradley International Airport and other state-owned/general aviation airports, including Groton/New London/New London Airport, Hartford Brainard, Waterbury/Oxford, CT, Danielson, and Windham Airport.
"The CAA is pleased that Tweed complied but notes several corrections to recent public statements on this matter," the authority said in a statement shared with ch-aviation. "The assertion that this license was submitted solely as a 'courtesy' is factually and legally incorrect. All Connecticut airports, regardless of whether or not they have regular oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration, must comply with state licensing laws. The state’s regulatory framework was established to maintain safety and consistency across all Connecticut airports. It is also wholly incorrect to insinuate that the CAA has used its regulatory authority in a biased manner for competitive purposes. In fact, over the past ten years that the CAA has held its statewide regulatory authority, it has only exercised that authority once as it relates to the operation of an airport. That instance entailed the CAA assisting an airport in maintaining clear airspace and safe approaches – and that airport was Tweed-New Haven Airport."
