The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit today denied a request by Hanscom Field area activists to halt flights from the Bedford airport to New York City's LaGuardia Airport. The five-roundtrip flights offered by Shuttle America began on November 1, 2000 and are targeted at Logan Airport's busiest market, the New York-Boston route. The court ruled that the "petitioners have failed to demonstrate a risk of irreparable harm to historic properties during the pendency of the appeal."
Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) officials had joined the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Shuttle America in defending the popular flights from Hanscom Field. The Shuttle America flights have been challenged in a lawsuit filed by Save Our Heritage, a group opposed to the limited airline service. Massport's supporting legal brief argued "that there is no basis in law or fact" to halt the five roundtrip Hanscom Field-LaGuardia flights.
"A smart blueprint for regionalization encompasses all of New England's assets; that includes Acela high speed trains, improved rail access to T.F. Green Airport, expanded flights from Worcester Regional Airport, and commuter airline service from Hanscom Field," said Massport Executive Director and CEO Virginia Buckingham. "Continued legal action is not adding anything to the ongoing dialogue."
Commercial service returned to Hanscom in September of 1999 when Shuttle America initiated flights to Trenton and Buffalo. Since then, the service has grown and the Connecticut-based airline has carried more than 120,000 people this year alone.