T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationRIAC, as the airport operator, needs to maintain flexibility in its facilities in order to service the demand of thetraveling public safely and efficiently. If there are a limited number of airlines that can serve a particular route dueto a unique combination of aircraft and engine types, it is less likely that the Airport will be able to reliably servethat market. Likewise, if an airline is limited in the number of aircraft configurations that it can use to serve aparticular market, it limits the flexibility for that airline to substitute other aircraft as scheduling, weather delays,and maintenance requirements may warrant. A longer primary runway not only benefits service to long-haulmarkets, but also medium- and short-haul markets. For example, an airline that is currently serving a particularmarket with a regional jet may be able to serve that same route with a larger narrowbody jet that requires greaterrunway length, thereby offering greater schedule flexibility. This flexibility creates less inherent business risk to anairline that initiates service to a new market.Lengthening the primary runway (Runway 5-23) would provide flexibility to airlines as they change fleet mixesand provide the opportunity for air carriers to initiate non-stop service to West Coast markets (such as theLos Angeles area, San Francisco Bay area, and Seattle) and potentially trans-Atlantic destinations in the future(such as London and southern destinations in the Caribbean) as an alternate option to Logan Airport. 80 Without anextended primary runway, RIAC’s air service development opportunities are restricted due to unaddressedphysical airfield limitations. As a result, leakage from the T.F. Green Airport catchment area to Logan Airport willcontinue. Continued leakage of passengers to Logan Airport will result in decreased efficiency of the New EnglandRegional Airport System as a whole and limit RIAC’s ability to meet its mission.2.3.2.2 Terminal ComplexThe existing passenger terminal at the Airport provides a total of 352,000 square feet of passenger processing facilities.Figure 1-4 depicts the existing terminal area at T.F. Green Airport. This area includes 22 gates with 16 jet bridges.Additional support space includes passenger ticketing, public circulation and support, passenger departure lounges,concessions, passenger security checkpoints, baggage handling, and airline administrative support. Based upon theforecast increase in passenger volumes and the evolution of the fleet mix to include larger and longer-range aircraft,future modifications to the facilities associated with the terminal complex will be required to enhance efficiency andpassenger convenience. Terminal complex facilities that would require modifications based on passenger demandduring the planning period include aircraft gates, concourse area, terminal apron and taxilanes, and the central heatingand cooling plant. These facilities are described further in this section.GatesThere are currently 22 gates at T.F. Green Airport. Based on the analysis in the 2002 T.F. Green Airport Master PlanUpdate, projected total gate requirements were expected to reach 40 gates by 2020. 81 The 2002 T.F. Green AirportMaster Plan Update passenger gate requirements were developed for long-term planning purposes and the exacttiming of construction would be determined based on actual passenger demand.80 The New England Regional Airport System Plan, New England Airport Coalition, Fall 2006, page 1.81 T.F. Green Airport Master Plan Update. Landrum & Brown, Inc., 2002.Chapter 2 – Purpose and Need 2-27 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH02_P&N_JUL_2011.doc