Bridgeport sells Sikorsky Airport to CAA for $10M
The City of Bridgeport Airport Commission approved the sale of Bridgeport Sikorsky Airport to the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA) for $10 million.
According to a statement released by the Bridgeport city government, the sale price was the maximum amount the city could retain from a sale of the airport as established by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The CAA has committed to administering more than $60 million of improvements to the airport, with the goal of restoring commercial service that has not existed at the facility since the 1990s.
“I am very happy that we have come to a vote to sell to the CAA,” said Mayor Joe Ganim. “The city has been working diligently over the past few years to bring back passenger service to the airport and this transfer of ownership is expected to expedite that process.”
“The Connecticut Airport Authority is pleased that the Airport Commission chose to move forward with progressing the CAA”™s acquisition proposal to the City Council,” said Kevin Dillon, executive director and CEO of the CAA. “If we are able to complete this deal, we look forward to working with the City of Bridgeport and Town of Stratford to maximize the potential of the airport and the region”™s economic development.”
The airport, which loses an average of $500,000 per year, is located in Stratford but owned by Bridgeport. Stratford Mayor Laura Hoydick, who expressed interest in acquiring the airport, did not immediately respond to the news of the sale.
Sikorsky”™s air controller tower, still bearing the Bridgeport Municipal Airport name that the facility used from 1937 to 1972. Photo by Phil Hall