Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport | |||||||||||
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 Tweed-New Haven Airport in 2019 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | City of New Haven | ||||||||||
| Operator | Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | New Haven,Connecticut, and theNew York metropolitan area | ||||||||||
| Location | New Haven County | ||||||||||
| Opened | August 29, 1931 (94 years ago) (1931-08-29) | ||||||||||
| Operating base for | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 12 ft / 4 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°15′50″N072°53′12″W / 41.26389°N 72.88667°W /41.26389; -72.88667 | ||||||||||
| Website | flytweed | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
 FAA airport diagram (2025) | |||||||||||
 Interactive map of Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||
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| Sources:FAA,[1]BTS[2] | |||||||||||
Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport[3] (IATA:HVN,ICAO:KHVN,FAALID:HVN) is a public airport located three miles southeast of downtownNew Haven, inNew Haven County, Connecticut, United States.[4] The airport is partly located in the City of New Haven (which owns the airport) and partly in theTown of East Haven.[4][5] It is one of two airports with regularly scheduled commercial service in Connecticut, the other beingBradley International Airport inWindsor Locks.
Tweed Airport is included in theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA)National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it iscategorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility. The airport was known as New Haven Municipal Airport until 1961, when it was renamed for its first manager, John H. Tweed.
Ground-breaking ceremonies for New Haven Municipal Airport occurred on November 11, 1929. The facility was later dedicated and opened for traffic on August 29, 1931, as the New Haven Municipal Airport.[6] On June 25, 1961, it was renamed in honor of John H. "Jack" Tweed – its first airport manager.[7]
The first airline to serve New Haven was Li-Con Airways, Inc., (Long Island-Connecticut Airways) ofIslip,Long Island, New York. That carrier commenced service on November 10, 1933, and provided passenger and airmail service until July 1934. In the fall of 1934,American Airlines began serving New Haven as a stop on flights between New York and Boston and continued service until 1960.[6] The American service was then replaced byAllegheny Airlines andAllegheny Commuter (with the latter being operated by commuter air carriers Suburban Airlines andPennsylvania Airlines). Allegheny operatedBritish Aircraft CorporationBAC One-Eleven jets into Tweed in the mid-1970s.Eastern Airlines initiated service in 1948 and then left in 1970 due to legal challenges pertaining to a runway extension. Eastern returned briefly from 1972 to 1974 withBoeing 727 andMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 "Whisperjet" service nonstop to Baltimore-Washington (BWI), Washington-National (DCA) and Boston. The carrier also offered one-stop service to Miami (MIA) and Atlanta (ATL).[6][8]
Fixed base operator (FBO) New Haven Airways started scheduled flights in 1978 and became New Haven's hometown airline, NewAir, in 1980.[9] The airline operated flights to New York's JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington International, and Washington National Airports, withde Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter,Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante andShort 360 commuter turboprop aircraft. NewAir ended all service in 1985.[9][10]
Competing wasPilgrim Airlines based atGroton–New London, to New York–JFK and LaGuardia, Boston, Washington (DCA) on de Havilland Canada Twin Otters andFokker F27 turboprops.[11] By the mid-1980s the two airlines merged and were then purchased by Hartford-basedBusiness Express Airlines, which initially flew only from Brainard Airport to Boston and Philadelphia. Business Express established a code-sharing relationship withDelta Air Lines and became aDelta Connection feeder airline in 1985.
In 1987Hyannis-basedProvincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA), a commuter airline forPeoplExpress Airlines (which was subsequently merged intoContinental Airlines), began flights to New Haven. PBA operating asContinental Express flew Embraer EMB-110s from Tweed to Continental's hub at Newark and also to Hyannis and Nantucket, Massachusetts.[12]
USAir Express (operated by commuter air carriers PSA, Piedmont, Allegheny) flew to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC area airports, utilizingShorts 360,Dash-8 100/300,Dornier 328 andBeechcraft 1900 turboprop aircraft.[12]
Jet flights from New Haven toChicago O'Hare Airport started in 1985–86, initially onAir Wisconsin'sBAe-146s operatingcode sharing service as "United Express" on behalf ofUnited Airlines. From 1991 to 1996, United AirlinesBoeing 737-300s and737-500s flew non-stop to O'Hare. Tweed was also served byAtlantic Coast Airlines operating code sharing service as United Express flyingEmbraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops toWashington Dulles Airport.[12]
Continental Express (flown by PBA) service continued with Beechcraft 1900 andATR 42 turboprops, while Business Express flights were operated withSaab 340 and Beechcraft 1900 turboprops.[10][12]
Other small air carriers serving New Haven over the years include Ocean Airlines, Astec Air East, East Hampton Aire, Trans International Express,Trans World Express operated byPocono Airlines on behalf ofTrans World Airlines (TWA), andNorthwest Airlink operated by Precision Airlines andNortheast Express Regional Airlines on behalf ofNorthwest Airlines.[10][12]
By the late 1990s service began to decline to the airport. Business Express service ended, as it put its Saab-340s out of service after its acquisition by AMR Corporation. Continental Express flights ended in 1994, returned in 1995, and then left again on December 17, 1997.[10][12][13]
Comair (Delta Connection) began service to HVN in 2004 with three daily flights toCincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport using CRJ-200 aircraft. The airline ceased operations at HVN in January 2006.[12]
Pan Am Clipper Connection, operated by Boston-Maine Airways, began non-stop flights toBaltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport,Hanscom Field, andPease International Airport on March 8, 2007, using 19-seat Jetstream 31 aircraft. Service ended on July 30, 2007.[14]
This leftUS Airways Express (Piedmont) as the only airline at Tweed, which in 2015 becameAmerican Eagle following theAmerican Airlines-US Airways merger.[10][12]
American Eagle was the only airline serving New Haven year-round. As of November 29, 2017, PSA replaced Piedmont's Dash 8-100 turboprop service with three daily round trips to and fromPhiladelphia onCanadair CRJ-200,Canadair CRJ-700 and occasionallyCanadair CRJ-900 regional jets. Weekly flights toCharlotte Douglas International Airport started on December 22, 2018. Service byRepublic Airways to Philadelphia and flying theEmbraer E-175 commenced on May 3, 2019. On September 9, 2020, all service was shifted to Charlotte then subsequently canceled one month later on October 7, 2020. American Eagle service resumed on January 5, 2021, after a renewal of the government-subsidized CARES Act created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Service was shifted back to Philadelphia with one daily flight; however, all service ended once again on September 30, 2021.[15]
United Airlines connects to New Havens' Union Station in downtown New Haven via Amtrak train to/fromNewark Liberty International Airport (IATA:EWR); the airport code for New Haven, in this case, is (IATA:ZVE), but United does not fly to Tweed.
Today, the airport is operated by AFCO AvPORTS of Dulles, Virginia – a subsidiary ofGoldman Sachs, under contract with the Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport Authority.[16][17]
On April 18, 2019,Shoreline Aviation – based at the airport – announced a merger withCape Air.[18] This popular seaplane service was expected to continue connecting HVN with theNew York Skyports Seaplane Base in New York City.[18]
On June 14, 2019,Southern Airways Express, a Florida-based-Part 135 commuter carrier, began seasonal nonstop service between Tweed and Nantucket, Massachusetts.[19]
On May 6, 2021, Houston-based low-cost startupAvelo Airlines announced that it would be opening its first East Coast base at Tweed New Haven. The airline operates a fleet ofBoeing 737-700 aircraft and initial routes from Tweed would be to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Tampa beginning on November 3, 2021. Before service even started, two more routes were announced to Sarasota and West Palm Beach.[20] Service began as planned on November 3 with the first flight departing New Haven to Orlando. As of 2024, service had been expanded to 25 cities.
On August 7, 2024,Breeze Airways announced it will be launching 10 flights in direct competition with Avelo Airlines current routes from New Haven.[21] This will expand operations from Tweed New Haven by adding more flight operations to the already small airport and increase competition. Breeze Airways will begin operating these new routes out of New Haven in December 2024 and February 2025.[21]
In October 2024, the airport received a $4 million grant for the construction of a new, 81,568-square-foot (7,577.9 m2) terminal on its east side.[22][23][24] When complete, the new, six-gate terminal will replace the existing one on the west side, built in 1931 and functionally obsolete.[22][24][25][26] The project is expected to cost between $70,000,000 and $100,000,000.[23][24]
The runway will also be expanded as part of this long-awaited airport expansion project.[24][25][26] Additional funding was secured for the expansion project in February 2024, when the airport received a $2 million grant.[25]
The future of the airport has been the subject of disagreement between the City of New Haven and the Town of East Haven. New Haven has advocated airport runway expansion, which would be required to attract more commercial air service and larger planes.[27][28] Some groups of local residents have historically been opposed, saying that expansion would negatively affect the local environment and health ofNew Haven andEast Haven residents.[29][30]
In 2002, theFAA and the State of Connecticut had approved the airport's layout plan which specified the installation of safety overruns and extending the length of Tweed's main runway 02–20. In 2007, the FAA and the State of Connecticut approved the addition of safety overruns to Tweed's main runway. The City of New Haven issued the wetlands and building permits for the project, but officials in East Haven voted to reject the upgrade proposal and deny permits for work on the East Haven (north) side; the Airport Authority and the City of New Haven filed alawsuit against the Town of East Haven to allow work on the north overrun, and won.
Since the lawsuit, the Airport Authority has completed the work for the $25 million safety overruns on the New Haven (south) side of the airport, as well as the East Haven (north) side.[31]
On March 16, 2009, New Haven and East Haven announced that an agreement had been reached, keeping the main runway at 5,600 feet (1,700 m), with all obstructions in the approach zones to be removed. Departures are to be capped at 30 per day, with a passenger cap of 180,000 boardings per year.[32]
In July 2014, the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority and theCity of New Haven sought federal grant money as a part of the Small Community Air Service Development Program. Language within this air service proposal described the airport's hope to lengthen the main runway past 5,600 feet (1,700 m).[33] In the same month, the airport also sought an increase in annually-appropriatedState of Connecticut funds, specifically to pave the runway safety areas in order to expand the length of the runway.[34] This legislation was not enacted and federal money for air service development was not granted. In 2015, MayorToni Harp of New Haven and Rep.Rosa DeLauro wrote a joint letter to residents pledging their support for runway expansion.[35]
Opposition to the airport runway expansion was strong among some local residents, resulting in the formation of a small grassroots campaign.[36][37] Tensions flared up at community meetings on May 20 and 21, 2015.[38][39][40][41][42]East Haven voters and MayorJoseph A. Maturo, Jr. continued to oppose Tweed's expansion proposals.[43]
In November 2015, the Airport Authority's board of directors voted to sue the State of Connecticut in Federal court.[44][45]
Tim Larson, former executive director and State Senator forEast Hartford, described Tweed as "an airport at a critical juncture. Commercial carriers are interested in servicing the Southern Connecticut market but will not consider coming to Tweed until the runway is lengthened." He added that "American (formerly US Airways), may discontinue our existing service when in the next few years they replace the currentDash-8 aircraft with planes that require a longer runway."[46] Activist residents responded with a new effort against the expansion and a reportingapp for noise, health, and quality of life complaints.[47] East Haven Mayor Maturo described the lawsuit as "foolish".[48][49]
In July 2019, theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of the airport. In a unanimous opinion, the court ruled that the state statute limiting the length of the runway is preempted by federal law, and is therefore invalid.[50]
In December 2019,Connecticut Attorney GeneralWilliam Tong submitted an appeal to theSupreme Court of the United States seeking a challenge to the runway expansion.[51]
On March 23, 2020, theSupreme Court of the United States declined to hear Connecticut's appeal to the proposed runway expansion. Having exhausted all legal options, the state can no longer prevent the airport from expanding its runway and adding additional services.[52]
On May 6, 2021, Avelo Airlines announced that their new East Coast hub would be located at Tweed and would hire 100 new employees to be based in New Haven. Avelo Airlines announced that flights would begin in the third quarter of 2021. It was also announced that AFCO AvPORTS would build a new terminal on the East Haven side of the airport in addition to expanding the length of the runway. Service began with flights to four destinations in Florida, but it quickly expanded to 14 destinations in eight states. During Avelo's first full year of service, over 340,000 enplanements were recorded, an all-time record for the airport. The growth in passenger totals further highlighted the need for the expansion, with the existing terminal experiencing overcrowding issues and no longer being able to efficiently handle the airport's needs.[26]
The Federal Aviation Administration approved the expansion plans in December 2023.[53] The airport received grants in 2024 for the new terminal's construction.[22][25][26]
Tweed-New Haven Airport covers 394acres (159ha) at anelevation of 12 feet (4 m) abovemean sea level. It has oneasphaltrunway: 2/20 is 5,600 by 150 feet (1,707 x 46 m).[4] The airport previously had a crosswind runway, 14/32, which was decommissioned in 2015.
For the 12-month period ending May 31, 2021, the airport served 36,029 aircraft operations, averaging 99 per day: 92%general aviation, 6%air taxi, 1%scheduled commercial, and <1%military. In November 2022, 63 aircraft were then based at this airport: 46 single-engine, 4 multi-engine, and 13jet.[4]
General aviation operations at the airport are handled by theFixed-Base Operator, Robinson Aviation, Inc., which has been providing FBO services at the airport since 1989.[54] Services offered include on-site maintenance, flight training and aircraft rental via New Haven Aviation Center, in addition to normal ground handling, fueling, and concierge services. General aviation accounts for the majority of traffic at the airport, catering to corporate, charter, and private-use aircraft of all sizes.[54]
TheConnecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol 73rd Minuteman Squadron (NER-CT-073) operates out of the airport.[55]
| Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers | Year | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 11,000 | 2008 | 68,000 | 2014 | 68,000 | 2020 | 23,000 |
| 2003 | 31,000 | 2009 | 66,000 | 2015 | 62,000 | 2021 | 57,000 |
| 2004 | 78,000 | 2010 | 72,000 | 2016 | 57,000 | 2022 | 701,000 |
| 2005 | 129,000 | 2011 | 80,000 | 2017 | 57,000 | 2023 | 978,000 |
| 2006 | 76,000 | 2012 | 75,000 | 2018 | 78,000 | 2024 | 1,169,000 |
| 2007 | 75,000 | 2013 | 74,000 | 2019 | 95,000 | 2025 |
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avelo | 1,291,000 | 90.42% |
| 2 | Breeze | 137,000 | 9.58% |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Orlando, Florida | 104,550 | Avelo,Breeze |
| 2 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 56,000 | Avelo |
| 3 |  Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina | 53,210 | Avelo, Breeze |
| 4 | West Palm Beach, Florida | 52,190 | Avelo, Breeze |
| 5 | Fort Myers, Florida | 46,290 | Avelo, Breeze |
| 6 | Tampa, Florida | 40,450 | Avelo |
| 7 |  Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | 33,650 | Avelo |
| 8 |  Atlanta, Georgia | 31,320 | Avelo |
| 9 | Sarasota, Florida | 30,320 | Avelo |
| 10 | Charlotte-Concord, North Carolina | 25,090 | Avelo |
The airport can be accessed from theConnecticut Turnpike's (I-95's) northbound Exit 50 onto Townsend Avenue, and southbound Exit 51 onto Frontage Road. More directly, the terminal is accessed by taking Fort Hale Road to Burr Street.[69]
 System | Route(s) | Refs |
|---|---|---|
 CT Transit New Haven | 206 | [70] |
CT Transit bus route 206 provides regular daily service between the passenger terminal (upon request) and East Chapel Street inDowntown New Haven. The route also provides access toNew Haven–State Street train station, which is served byAmtrak,CT Rail, and theMetro-North Railroad.[71]
Tweed-New Haven Arprt
Runway 2-20 shall be limited to the existing paved runway length of 5,600 linear feet.
Phase 3 is crucial to developing future air service as it involves the paving of the safety areas of Runway 02 and 20 which would effectively provide 6,200 feet of runway for takeoffs and enable HVN to handle larger jets flying to further destinations. The airport continues to work with the FAA to secure approval and funding for Phase 3 implementation.
The proceeds of the sale of said bonds, to the extent of the amount stated in subsection (a) of this section, shall be used by the Department of Transportation for the purpose of trimming or removing trees and paving existing runway safety areas at Tweed - New Haven Airport.
...the 5600ft runway remains too short for many modern types of commercial aircraft. It is proposed, therefore, to pave 1,000 feet of the existing safety zone to the south and 500 feet of the existing safety zone to the north of the existing runway.
The community activist group who are calling themselves Voters Opposed to Tweed Expansion (VOTE) have been meeting in their homes to review assessments and national airline data and have launched www.stoptweed.org, to help others learn what the potential impact on the environmental, quality of life and taxpayer impacts of the proposed airport expansion.
"We are all trying to do what we think is best for New Haven," Nemerson said, adding this is being completed despite the proposal's controversy.
Well over 100 people crammed into the old terminal at Tweed, at one point filling most of its available space, including a staircase overlooking the action.
City and Tweed-New Haven Airport pitched plane-weary Morris Cove neighbors Wednesday night on a plan to pave another 1,500 feet of runway to boost air service into town—and received a ritual chorus of angry opposition from an overflow crowd.
The city and Tweed agreed not to pave the runway safety areas in 2009. Many residents wonder why that appears to be changing now.
The second of two planned meetings saw another at-capacity crowd at Nathan Hale Elementary Thursday night after the room was packed on Wednesday. Angry neighbors clashed with airport officials from Tweed New Haven Airport over a plan to expand the airport's primary runway from 5,600 feet to 6,100 feet.
The event was supposed to be an opportunity to for residents to talk to city officials about their plans to support a proposal that would increase the size of the airport's runway and dramatically bring in more plane traffic in the coming years. People did speak, but you have to wonder how much they were truly listening to one another. There was a lot of shouting among people in the crowd, and those who asked questions didn't hesitate to interrupt those they asked the questions to.
A statement from East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. regarding plans by some to expand Tweed Airport. "The City of New Haven, in conjunction with state and federal legislators, have begun more actively discussing the future of Tweed Airport. However, there are still many questions that remain unanswered. Moving ahead, I am committed to ensuring that our residents' concerns and voices will be heard and that all of our questions will be answered. Until those questions are answered to the satisfaction of my constituents, I will continue to stand opposed to any expansion of Tweed and will continue to fight to protect the interests of our residents."
The airport authority's board voted 11-2 Wednesday, with one abstention, to file a lawsuit against the state seeking to declare illegal a 2009 law limiting the main runway to 5,600 feet.
WHEREAS the Authority wishes to seek a declaratory ruling from the U.S. District Court that Connecticut General Statutes Section 15-120j(c) is illegal and invalid because Federal law provides that control over the nation's airspace, including determinations as to the length and character of runways and taxiways, is exclusively within the jurisdiction of the federal government, and state governments are pre-empted from making such determinations.
Tim Larson, Executive Director of the Authority, described Tweed as "an airport at a critical juncture. Commercial carriers are interested in servicing the Southern Connecticut market but will not consider coming to Tweed until the runway is lengthened." "in addition," he said, "our current carrier, American (formerly US Airways), may discontinue our existing service when in the next few years they replace the current Dash-8 aircraft with planes that require a longer runway." "More than $35 million of public funds have been invested in this airport," Larson said, "and that investment makes no sense if there is no commercial service here."[dead link]
We're rolling out a new incident reporting tool called Tweedle. Contact us if you'd like to help test it. We're providing this alternative because the complaint form provided by Tweed is not only limited to just noise, it's also frequently broken or ignored. Tweedle is a Ruby on Rails app based on Toronto's Doored. It is 100% Free/Open-Source Software, and we're looking for devs who are interested in working on it (we know New Haven has a vibrant Ruby programming community!).
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)Maturo questioned the path the authority was taking. "I just think it's foolish to sue the state," Maturo said. "I think we have better ways to spend our money than to give it to attorneys. I think what would be better would be to go to the legislative delegation from New Haven and East Haven" and ask them "to change the bill instead of suing."
Maturo said he does not understand the action being taken by the authority. "I just think it's foolish to sue the state," said Maturo via the New Haven Register.
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