Beverly Regional Airport officials report dip in flight operations, outline runway reconstruction and noise‑mitigation steps

Beverly Regional Airport Manager Gabriel Hannafin told the Town of Danvers Select Board that annual operations fell in 2025 compared with 2024 and laid out a multi‑year runway reconstruction and permitting plan that he and commission leadership say is designed to address safety and operational constraints.

"In 2024, we had over 91,000 operations," Hannafin said. "Year to date we have 58,900 operations — a roughly 26% decrease compared with this time last year — and at the rate we're going I estimate we'll be around 70,000 operations this year." He attributed most of the drop to reduced single‑engine training activity and to changes in instrument approach minimums caused by newly identified obstructions.

Why it matters: The decline reverses more than a decade of year‑over‑year growth that followed the pandemic surge in general‑aviation activity. At the same time, Hannafin said jet traffic has inched up, in part because some corporate jets have diverted from Boston Logan while parts of that airport are under reconstruction. The mix matters because jets and larger aircraft typically generate different noise and safety profiles than single‑engine training operations.

Noise complaints and data: Hannafin said the airport received 176 noise complaints year‑to‑date from 35 unique addresses; 16 Danvers addresses accounted for 48 complaints. "Three individuals account for about 60% of our total noise complaints," he said, and the airport is presenting both raw complaint counts and “normalized” charts that factor out high‑volume individual filers in order to identify broader neighborhood patterns. He said roughly three‑quarters of complaints involve single‑engine piston aircraft, and that flight‑school activity accounts for the bulk of those reports, though the gap between piston and jet complaints has narrowed.

Hannafin said the airport’s voluntary noise‑abatement curfew (10 p.m.–6 a.m.) generated 15 reports in 2024 and five so far in 2025, and that some curfew incidents were Angel Flights or other public‑safety missions. "The FAA solely holds authority to mandate and control air traffic," he said, explaining the airport’s noise abatement policy is voluntary and intended to reduce impacts where possible.

Runway reconstruction and permitting: Hannafin described a multi‑phase program to reconstruct Runway 16/34 (the airport’s main 5,001‑by‑100‑foot runway). He said an aeronautical study submitted in August 2025 identified obstructions — trees, buildings and utility poles — that have raised instrument approach minimums and in some cases removed approaches at night. The airport has submitted a draft environmental assessment and environmental notification form to FAA and MassDOT and expects design and construction work in 2027–2028, with ancillary grading and mitigation in 2029–2030.

Hannafin described planned work as: full reconstruction of the paved runway surface, addition of 300 feet of paved safety area at each end, and follow‑on grading and vegetation mitigation. He told the board this work aims to restore previously available instrument minimums and to add resilience and an expanded paved safety area for takeoffs.

Community outreach and tenant projects: Hannafin listed tenant projects on the airfield (new FBO hangar construction, renovation of Hangar 4, reuse of the old tower building, installation of flight simulators, and a Mass. Air and Space Museum lease for Building 45). He highlighted recent community events including Dream Flights and a runway 5K.

Board and public questions: Board members and residents asked about the complaint data, whether the airport will pursue an independent environmental health study like the ones performed at larger bases, and how to secure state or federal funding for such a study. Hannafin said a comparable study could cost roughly $250,000 and that smaller airports lack Massport’s revenue stream; he said he has reached out to Massport and state contacts and will continue to pursue funding. Town counsel and board members discussed which party should request state assistance.

Next steps and follow‑up: The airport agreed to email its presentation to the town manager for distribution and to continue scheduling community briefings. Hannafin said permitting and data collection will occupy 2025–2026 and that construction is forecast for 2027–2028. He asked residents and board members to provide specific questions for follow‑up and committed to return with updates.

Attribution: Gabriel Hannafin, airport manager, and Kyle Retallik, chair of the Beverly Airport Commission, presented the data and answered technical questions.