Burlington International Airport tells Senate Transportation committee it is growing but needs capital to match demand

Burlington — Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport officials briefed the Vermont Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 31 about record passenger counts, new airline routes and planned capital projects, while flagging airspace limits and ground-transportation gaps that constrain growth.

The airport presented passenger and tenant statistics and an early outline of Project NEXT, a north-side terminal expansion. "Safety is our top priority," said Jeff Bartley, director of innovation and marketing for Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, during the committee presentation. He said the airport is handling roughly 1,400,000 passengers a year and called the airport "a source of innovation" because of aviation tenants on the field.

Committee members were given the economic context: pre-pandemic regional economic impact estimates showed roughly $1 billion in regional economic activity and about 5,000 jobs tied to the airport, officials said. Airport leadership said the coming capital program is roughly $140 million over the next several years; state grant support was described as about $2.5 million spread over five years (roughly $0.5 million per year) and fuel-tax revenue retained for aviation programs approaches $3 million annually.

Airport director of aviation Nick Longo and Bartley described current airline service and tenant activity that support the figures. The airport now lists 18 nonstop destinations and six airline partners including Delta, United and American; seasonal and recent entrants mentioned during the briefing included Sun Country, Breeze and Frontier. On the tenant side, presenters named Pratt & Whitney Canada, Beta Technologies, FedEx and FedEx’s daily 757 operation as major users of the field; UPS also operates in the airport but with smaller aircraft, they said. The airport is home to aviation education programs and the Vermont Air National Guard.

Officials outlined several constraints that affect route growth and airline choices. Bartley and Longo said federal airspace limits into the New York market have reduced available slots for connecting carriers and in recent years have reduced service from carriers such as JetBlue. The airport briefed the committee that expanding capacity in markets such as New York and Denver — and adding competition on those routes — would help lower ticket prices by attracting more carriers.

Project NEXT: terminal expansion and sustainability

Airport staff said Project NEXT, an expansion north of the current terminal, will add gate and circulation capacity to accommodate larger mainline aircraft that are now operating at Burlington. The airport also outlined an observation tower and event space project that it expects to heat and cool with a geothermal field, use on-site solar generation and be built with mass timber. Officials said the Northern Border Regional Commission provided a $1.8 million grant toward the observation tower. Bartley told the committee the airport received a carbon accreditation this year and plans further electrification of ground service equipment as part of emissions reductions.

Funding and governance questions

Committee members asked about governance and bond liability as part of a broader discussion about regionalization. Airport officials said past discussions of regional governance are complex because a significant portion of the airport’s bonded debt rests with the taxpayers of the City of Burlington. The presenters described themselves as neutral on regionalization but noted there are both pros and cons and identified bond exposure and local taxpayers’ obligations as constraints on any governance change.

Ground access and market leakage

Committee members and presenters also discussed ground access. Airport staff said Burlington still loses about 35% of its catchment-area passengers to alternative airports such as Boston and noted that stronger rail or Amtrak connections, and better bus/shuttle links, might help capture riders who currently drive to other hubs. Bartley said the airport’s service area stretches into eastern Montreal and parts of upstate New York and New Hampshire.

What the committee was told next

Airport officials said they are not seeking immediate appropriations in the briefing but flagged future capital requests tied to noise mitigation, runway and airfield rehabilitation and capacity increases. They asked for continued coordination with state transportation and commerce agencies to support airport tenants, infrastructure and future route development. The airport team said they are open to additional follow-up with the committee on governance, capital matching and connectivity projects.