Bridgeport pitches Sikorsky Airport upgrades to lure commercial service

Those hoping for commercial air service to return to Sikorsky Memorial Airport may have to wait a bit longer.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim has met with Federal Aviation Agency officials to discuss runway improvements for the airport, located in Stratford but owned by Bridgeport.

“The FAA’s approval for these safety zones will allow us to seek and retain private investment that will make Sikorsky and Bridgeport a transportation center for Southwestern Connecticut,” Ganim said. “That’s why we are working so hard, that’s why we were in Washington ”“ to make it happen here in Bridgeport.”

Such a move would lighten traffic congestion on highways into New York, and result in a positive impact on the region”™s economy, according to the mayor. Federal approval of renovations to Sikorsky”™s runways would result in up to eight daily passenger flights by 2021, the administration believes.

But the FAA has reportedly also requested various safety upgrades to accommodate the changes, which would add several years to the timeline.