The headline in the February 23 Concord Bridge, “Updated Hanscom expansion reduces new hangars to 17,” while true, was highly misleading. As made clear at the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee meeting on February 20, the reduced number of hangars would accommodate the same number of jets as in the original proposal. The change simply allows some hangars to accommodate more or larger jets, while the overall square footage of the hangars remains unchanged. As stated at the 2/13 MCAC Executive Committee meeting, Massport made this change as a strategic business decision to accommodate certain customers, such as those who own multiple jets.
In addition, the article failed to address important points about ferry flights. Massport describes these and flights that drop off passengers at one airport, fly to another to park, and then return to pick up their passengers later. But as there are no manifests for private flights, Massport cannot document which flights actually fit this definition. Reducing ferry flights has been a key part of Massport’s argument for the expansion of Hanscom facilities, which they say would reduce emissions. However, the presenters at the HFAC meeting admitted that even if they eliminated every single ferry flight, the upcoming DEIR would include data that show that the decrease in emissions would be relatively insignificant.
As a Concord resident who is very concerned about the perils of climate change, I would ask that local media, including The Concord Bridge, provide accurate and unbiased coverage.
Janet Miller
Main Street