Interior of Hancock Airport
/ file photo
SYRACUSE -- The long-proposed Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, which was announced and approved by the Syracuse Common Council and mayor’s office last summer, is now on hold.
Mayor Stephanie Miner says she is looking at the structure of the authority, with possible changes in mind, to make it more efficient and more of an economic development engine. "We're looking at all different models and we're looking at making the authority to be as powerful as it can be." Miner told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon.
Miner feels an eleven member Airport Authority board is too large. "That's too many people and it's too cumbersome to get decisions made and move forward." She thinks it could be more efficient with fewer members, and she is looking at similar airport authorities in other parts of the state, specifically Rochester and Buffalo, to compare how they operate.
Proponents of a regional airport authority say it could lead to lower airfares, more airline choices, and tremendous economic growth for the region, helping Syracuse compete on a level playing field with every other major airport in the state.
Miner says one of the problems with Hancock International Airport is that too many passengers choose to travel to Rochester to take advantage of low airfares. She feels an efficient Syracuse Airport Authority can reverse that trend.
