GA advocates oppose legislation that would close KHFD

A proposed bill in the Connecticut General Assembly would lead to the closure of Hartford-Brainard Airport (KHFD).

Raised Bill No. 463, which was referred to the Joint Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding on March 18, 2022, would require the state to “seek to redevelop the state-owned property” the airport sits on.

The proposed legislation also directs the Connecticut Development Authority to analyze “any obstacles that would prevent or hinder the redevelopment of said property and identify the most prudent avenues to mitigate such obstacles.”

Within hours of the bill’s release, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) was preparing a call to action to be sent to members in Connecticut to make them aware of the situation, and urge that they contact their elected representatives “to voice our collective opposition to closing this important airport.”

In its quest to close the airport and redevelop the land, the Hartford City Council and other lawmakers have ignored a 2016 bipartisan report that determined the highest and best use of the land is to invest in the airport to maximize its full potential, an AOPA report noted.

The report also points out that the airport accepted Airport Improvement Program funds in 2015 from the FAA, which obligates the airport to remain open until 2035.

The proposed legislation has led pilots, tenants, and friends of the airport to establish the Hartford Brainard Airport Association to defend the airport.

AOPA officials said they are working with the new association to defend KHFD.

“Part of the challenge of this effort is that legislators elsewhere in the state may question the necessity of supporting an airport outside their legislative districts. But as the aviation industry understands, like all airports, Hartford Brainard Airport generates tangible economic and practical transportation value that extends far beyond its local municipal boundary,” said AOPA Eastern Regional Manager Sean Collins. “As a state-owned asset, we should all take pride in the value afforded to Connecticut residents as affirmed in a Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee — a bipartisan statutory committee — determined that retaining the property as an airport is the highest and best use of the Hartford-Brainard property.”