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MassDOT Aeronautics highlights drone operations, airport pavement investment and advanced air mobility planning
Summary
Acting Aeronautics Administrator Denise Garcia described an $8.4 million pavement contract across public‑use airports, a Commonwealth UAS program for long‑distance drone operations and work on advanced air mobility and sustainable aviation fuel planning.
Denise Garcia, acting administrator for MassDOT Aeronautics, briefed the committee on aeronautics activities including airport operations, pavement investments, drone programs and planning for advanced air mobility.
Garcia said the aeronautics division oversees 37 public‑use airports (34 operated by MassDOT and three by Massport), registers over 2,000 aircraft, and manages pavement, planning and environmental projects. She said the division recently awarded an $8.4 million contract for runway and pavement state‑of‑good‑repair work across public‑use airports to be completed over multiple construction seasons beginning in spring 2025.
Garcia described the Advanced Aviation Technologies Group, which manages drone operations, data storage and a Commonwealth UAS integration program that holds an FAA beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight waiver to conduct long‑distance drone missions, including medical delivery test flights of packages up to 10 pounds. She said any routine medical deliveries would require FAA approval and private‑sector medical providers to adopt the service.
She also described work on future electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) planning, a strategic business plan incorporated into the statewide aviation system update, and the division’s role in aligning aviation planning with the Beyond Mobility statewide long‑range transportation plan.
