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New Nantucket Airport Manager outlines fuel, noise, staffing and ramp plans
Summary
Warren Smith, the new manager at Nantucket Memorial Airport, briefed the Visitor Services Committee on operational challenges and near-term projects including a new south ramp, noise monitoring, seasonal fuel logistics and short-term dormitory housing for staff.
Warren Smith, the new airport manager, told the Nantucket Visitor Services Committee on Thursday that the airport is focusing this summer on fueling logistics, ramp space for larger private aircraft, noise monitoring and seasonal staffing and housing.
Smith emphasized why fuel availability and storage are critical on an island airport: “We are a unique airport in the sense that the airport actually owns and does the fueling,” Smith said. He told the committee that barging schedules and seasonal spikes make fuel management “on my radar” and that the airport’s master plan includes options to upgrade the fuel farm over the next 20 years.
The airport opened a new south ramp to handle larger private and business jets and to free space on the original south ramp, Smith said. The ramp includes at least one hard stand sized for a JetBlue, Delta or United aircraft in the event of maintenance, he said. The south ramp began limited operation late last summer and this is the first full summer of use; Smith said staff are collecting operational data this season.
Committee members raised long-standing noise and stranded-passenger concerns. Smith said the airport has installed new noise-monitoring microphones on the south ramp and plans to analyze live data to enforce noise-abatement practices, including limiting auxiliary power unit (APU) runtime. “We’ve asked the air carriers to no more than 15 minutes run your APU,” Smith said, adding that the airport will revitalize ramp management procedures and pursue stronger enforcement.
Smith described efforts to seek FAA support for noise-abatement grants but said Nantucket’s seasonality challenges FAA annualized thresholds: the FAA evaluates activity over a 12-month period and Nantucket’s concentrated summer operations make it harder to meet those thresholds. “We are trying our best…to show them goodwill, good faith,” he said.
On staffing and housing, Smith said the airport is finishing an eight-room dormitory-style building on airport property to house seasonal employees, with final inspection expected next week. “It’s an 8 room dormitory style housing for our seasonal employees,” he said, adding the facility could later house one or two full-time staff to support year-round recruitment.
Committee members discussed route and service opportunities, including the difficulty of convincing larger carriers to add year-round service. Peter Morrison encouraged continued use of the airport’s origin–destination data to identify nascent nonstop routes. Committee members also asked about pilot shortages and air traffic control staffing; Smith said regional pilot shortages have not yet caused visible disruptions at Nantucket and noted federal funding efforts to address controller staffing.
The meeting was a discussion; no formal airport actions or votes were taken. Smith said he will continue meeting with carriers and local stakeholders and invited committee members to coordinate on passenger-stranding responses and other operational issues this summer.
