Airport director says runway work disrupted 2024 but passenger numbers remained strong
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Summary
Airport Director Jose Saavedra told the Biz Economic Development Committee the airport’s 2024 end‑of‑year report shows strong passenger numbers despite roughly a month of runway closures during the second year of runway construction; staff forecast 2026 as the baseline year once construction is complete.
Airport Director Jose Saavedra told the Bangor City Biz Economic Development Committee that the airport’s 2024 end‑of‑year workforce and operations report shows resilience despite significant construction disruptions.
Saavedra said the airport was effectively closed for about a month during the runway’s second year of construction but that “even with that level of disruption, we still had a very, very strong year,” pointing committee members to passenger graphs included in the report. He said federal assistance for capital projects accounted for the bulk of recent large investments and cited a calendar‑year figure of roughly $34,400,000 in federal grants reflected in the packet.
Saavedra described three core business segments: military operations (which he estimated provide about one‑third of total airport revenue), growing domestic airline service — including recent seasonal additions such as United’s planned Denver service — and general aviation/FBO activity, which staff say accounts for a substantial share of non‑airline revenue.
Saavedra emphasized that 2026 is likely to be a more representative baseline year for planning and forecasting because 2023–24 encompassed the two years of runway construction and 2021–22 were distorted by post‑pandemic market shifts. He also described a planned connector project — an estimated $50,000,000 expansion linking terminals — intended to allow the airport to use its international facility flexibly for domestic demand.
Councilors asked about growth options, oversight and the director’s authority to pursue partnerships; Saavedra said tactical direction and resources come from the council while his role is execution. He provided a staff count of “about 130 employees” and reported the airport supports roughly “2,000” on‑site positions in its broader economic footprint as presented in the report.
Next steps: Saavedra and staff will return to a future committee meeting to discuss policy‑level challenges and options for oversight, including the idea of an airport commission.
