HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-05-07 Airport Committee Minutes
City of Bangor Airport Committee
rd
City Council Chambers 3 Floor
May 7, 2018
Meeting Minutes
The following City Councilors were in attendance: Airport Committee Chair Dan Tremble,
Councilors Clare Davitt, Gibran Graham, David Nealley, Benjamin Sprague and Laura Supica.
Also in attendance were City Manager Cathy Conlow and Airport Director Tony Caruso.
Agenda and Discussion:
Tony Caruso introduced Amy Thibodeau, new Marketing and Business Development; Jody
Varney, new Finance Manager; and Curt Davis, new Operations Manager.
1. Maine Air National Guard presentation
Airport Director Tony Caruso introduced Col. Frank Roy, Wing Commander of the Maine Air
National Guard (MeANG) Air Refueling Wing. Councilor Tremble pointed out that we have a
strong relationship with the Guard thanks to our Joint Use Agreement. Bangor is crucial to the
success of the Air Guard mission to provide military and homeland defense. Col. Roy briefed
the Committee on the organizational structure, history and mission of the MeANG. Due to a
change in federal funding, the Airport currently handles 60% of transient military aircraft coming
to Bangor.
An example of our strong collaboration is keeping the runway open. The snowplows are
purchased, fueled and repaired with MeANG funds; the operators are City employees. A second
example is the Fire Department. Department employees are a combination of State and Federal
workers. Under our Joint Use Agreement, the MeANG provides firefighting first response for
the airfield.
The US military annually presents a Meritorious Unit Award that is usually given to a unit
involved in direct combat. In 2012, the MeANG received that award for everything they were
doing in direct support of the global war on terror. They attribute a portion of their success to the
support they receive from the Airport.
2. Airport Statistics – March 2018
Airport Director Caruso reported another record month in March with 43,608 passengers, a 20%
monthly increase and a 26.7% YTD increase over last year. We are currently 23.6% higher YTD
than our 4-year average. Earlier in the year, we were concerned about load factors. They were
down, primarily due to winter delays and cancellations. Load factors have rebounded well. We
have a good mix of airlines; no one dominant carrier. Total operations shows steady grow at 2%.
Fuel sales grew 1.6% over March, 2017. We are tracking ahead of budget although we are down
slightly in our year-over-year numbers.
Meeting Adjourned.