SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $1 MILLION FOR THE GREATER BINGHAMTON AIRPORT; AFTER YEARS OF ADVOCACY, FEDERAL FUNDING WILL ESTABLISH BROOME COUNTY AS A REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION HUB
DOT Funding Will Bolster Local Efforts To Improve Airport And Expand Air Service; Schumer Says Binghamton Airport Vital To Continued Growth Of Regional Economy
Schumer: Ready For Binghamton’s Economic Takeoff
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced $1 million for Greater Binghamton Airport through the Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Program to make improvements to facilities and expand air service to other regional transportation hubs. The funding will support the region’s continued economic growth and open up the area to more opportunities in the future.
“Binghamton Airport’s expansion means continued success for the community and the entire Broome County region,” said Senator Schumer. “Transportation connections to the wider world are essential for community development and economic opportunity, and I have long been a champion of bringing those connections to Binghamton Airport. The funding announced today means opportunities for more jobs, more growth, and more investment in the future. I will always work with the community to fight for the Southern Tier’s economic take off.”
A copy of Schumer’s original letter to Secretary Buttigieg appears below:
Dear Secretary Buttigieg:
I am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by the Greater Binghamton Airport (BGM) for funding through the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP). This critical funding will enable airport administration to bolster existing efforts to establish BGM as a regional air service hub by expanding access to destinations, enhancing services, and supporting the needs of existing business in the Southern Tier region.
The Greater Binghamton Airport, located in Upstate New York’s Broome County, is a vital component to the region’s economy, supporting the travel of many of the area’s prominent employers. The airport offers a convenient location, just outside the City of Binghamton, and helps service many of the other cities in the Southern Tier of New York. Historically, the Greater Binghamton Airport has offered its passengers a variety of travel and carrier options at competitive rates, all while maintaining the convenience of a regional airport. In 2016 and 2017, however, American and United Airlines selected to eliminate services at the airport. The diminished travel options and unreliability pushed enplanements down, threatening the vitality of this valuable community resource. Currently, the airport’s offerings have been reduced to a single carrier operating only a few flights daily to a single hub. These reduced services have limited the airport’s capacity to meet the ever-growing travel needs of the community.
Since this reduction, Broome County’s economy has grown and countless new initiatives have succeeded in revitalizing the community. Binghamton University is on the precipice of opening a new Health Science Complex and Pharmacy School to support their expanding nursing and health research programs. In addition, the area recently has experienced an explosion of investment into the industrial hemp oriented space, with the development of multiple processing plants currently underway. The absence of robust and reliable connections to domestic and global transportation hubs is a disincentive to the expansion of new and developing business opportunities in the region.
The SCASDP grant will provide Broome County the opportunity to improve the airport and expand its service options from the Greater Binghamton Airport to sought after hubs. The airport has assembled a consortium of support and commitment from local private sector stakeholders, Broome County, and New York State for contributions to air service development. This vast association of resources demonstrates the unwavering commitment the local community and its leaders have to creating a vibrant regional airport, and highlights the tremendous value this project holds.
I ask that you please give this application your full consideration. A SCASDP grant will enable Broome County to continue to provide reliable air service to the region and will greatly support the continued economic development of this growing area.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
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