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The Director of the New Bedford Regional Airport, Erick D’Leon, has announced he will step down at the end of August to accept a position with a Florida-based airport management firm where he was previously employed.
City officials including Mayor Jon Mitchell praised D’Leon for his leadership as Director of the New Bedford Airport over the last two and a half years.
“The New Bedford Regional Airport has made tremendous progress recently and Erick has played an important role in bringing the airport to the level it is operating at today. Under his leadership, New Bedford has pushed forward with a modernization of the airport to ensure it remains a critical component of our regional transportation infrastructure,” said Mayor Mitchell.
Among the critical improvements to the airport infrastructure made under D’Leon’s leadership are the completion of a $12.5 million reconstruction of the airport’s primary runway and a $4.6 million reconstruction of its secondary runway. In addition, D’Leon improved a number of management practices related to airport operations and developed a capital improvement plan that will continue to enhance the airport in the future. This year, total aircraft operations at the airport have increased by 12% and jet operations have increased by 25%.
The New Bedford Regional Airport makes a major contribution to the area economy. A 2015 MassDOT study that tracked measures of economic success at all 39 public-use airports in Massachusetts found that economic impact of the New Bedford Regional Airport grew by 23% in four years, generating $32.4 million in local economic activity.
A regular meeting of the New Bedford Regional Airport Commission will be held this evening, Wednesday, August 17 at 6:00pm in the classroom located in the Bridgewater State University Aviation Training Center at the New Bedford Regional Airport. The Commission will be considering various scenarios for a transition in airport management. The City Personnel Department will also be conducting a recruitment so that interested candidates may apply for the director’s position. The Airport Commission will recommend qualified candidates to the mayor for appointment and confirmation by the City Council.
