Flight check
Maine’s airports have landed in the news in recent weeks, with announcements of new management, plans to grow and the arrival of federal dollars.
The city of Biddeford has taken over management of its municipal airport after the former operator, Cumberland and York Aviation, failed to fulfill its contract. Officials in December ended their contract with the fixed-based operator, saying the company “[was] not meeting the terms of their agreement,” Airport Manager Tom Bryand told the Journal Tribune. The company failed to earn as much profit as it anticipated from running the airport, and it paid the city sporadically, leading city officials to begin eviction proceedings over the summer, the newspaper reported. The city will run the airport for now, but it is seeking another fixed-based operator. A handful of companies have already expressed interest.
The Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport will expand after being awarded $500,000 through a recently signed federal spending bill. Rep. Mike Michaud presented airport officials with the money, which will fund design and engineering work for a 1,000-foot runway expansion, according to the Sun Journal. The expansion will allow the airport to accommodate 737-sized aircraft and could lead to regular passenger service, according to the paper. Environmental impact studies are expected to begin soon, and the airport plans to later seek federal money for construction, which will cost $10 million to $12 million. Work could begin by late 2011.
Some smaller Maine airports also got a chunk of federal money, sharing $5.5 million in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. Dexter Regional Airport won $3.8 million for runway rehabilitation, while the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport in Trenton got $1.2 million and the Augusta State Airport won $500,000, both to fund construction of firefighting buildings.
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