Burlington International Airport leaders brief Senate committee on growth, Project NEXT and sustainability plans

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Officials from Burlington International Airport told the Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee that the airport is growing rapidly, serving a wider mix of commercial, cargo and general aviation traffic and planning a multi‑year capital program to expand terminal capacity and reduce its carbon footprint.

Airport Director Nick Longo summarized the airport’s role in the region and outlined Project NEXT, a phased effort to enlarge the terminal, add jetbridge capacity and reconfigure aircraft parking so Burlington can handle larger aircraft and rising passenger counts. Longo said the airport is classified as a small‑hub, is a U.S. port of entry with U.S. Customs preclearance as a target for future international service, and projects between about 1.4 million and 1.5 million passengers this calendar year.

The Project NEXT proposal, Longo said, responds to two trends: larger aircraft with higher seat counts and more concentrated peak‑period demand. Jeff Bartley, director of innovation and marketing, told senators that average seats per aircraft have risen from about 69 seats in 2008 to more than 90 seats now, while load factors have moved from roughly 75% to about 85%. The airport projects roughly 940,000 scheduled seats departing BTV this year (one‑way), which…