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January 10, 2008

Warwick mayor lashes out at FAA over runway

In a sharply worded letter, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian has lambasted the Federal Aviation Administration for rejecting the city's proposal that it consider limiting any runway expansion at T.F. Green Airport to 8,300 feet.

This past summer, Avedisian called on the FAA to broaden the alternatives it is considering for a runway expansion beyond the 8,700 feet and 9,350 feet options. Last month, the FAA denied that request, arguing that any shorter expansion would unacceptably restrict the number of passengers the airport could send on cross-country flights.

In an interview with The Providence Journal at the time, Avedisian criticized that decision. Now, he has sent a formal response to the FAA, saying the FAA's letter "simply reiterates the assumptions and inaccuracies that have been consistently presented by the FAA."

"The most recent FAA response simply reiterates its previous position in order to validate a predetermined minimum runway length," Avedisian said.

Avedisian, a longtime airport critic, said the FAA had not seriously considered the potential impacts on homes and businesses near Green Airport. As he has in the past, he also argued that the plane the FAA is trying to accommodate, the Boeing 737-500, is not fuel efficient and is increasingly less popular among airlines flying across the country.

That decision, Avedisian said, could be grounds for a lawsuit against the FAA.

"The FAA ignores this fact and continues its support for the use of the B737-500 aircraft in order to justify its argument for a longer-than-necessary runway," Avedisian said. "Current industry trends indicate that air carriers are reallocating aircraft in a manner that maximizes efficiency and profitability within their networks. This trend does not include the use of the 737-500 for non-stop coast-to-coast service.

"The FAA’s continued insistence that the B737-500 must be used in the fleet mix for non-stop coast-to-coast legs is technically flawed; it is not accepted by most industry professionals and defies common sense," Avedisian said.

Discussions of a runway expansion began more than eight years ago. The FAA does not plan to issue a draft environmental impact statement, the next step in the process, for at least a year, and a final report is not expected until late 2009.

Posted by Benjamin N. Gedan at 5:59 PM | Permalink

January 10, 2008

Warwick mayor lashes out at FAA over runway

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