Every week until Providence Business News’ 20th anniversary celebration May 11, PBN will feature one of the 20 biggest business stories of the last two decades. This week, PBN examines the 1993-96 expansion of T.F. Green Airport.
Last year was a big one for T.F. Green Airport. Recovering from fallen consumer confidence after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Green is poised to topple the yearly record it set in 2001 of more than 5.3 million passengers. (Final passenger numbers for the year are due to be released in the coming days.)
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That is a far cry from the 1.6 million passengers who went through its gates in 1986 and well above the 733,000 who flew from the Warwick facility in 1982, the earliest year for which passenger numbers are available.
Hillsgrove State Airport – as the first state-owned airport in the nation at its founding was known – has come a long way since it opened in 1931 on what is now Airport Road in Warwick – and it was a flight path with a significant amount of turbulence.
The airport was an instant success, illustrated by the 150,000 people who attended two air shows at the dedication of the facility, according to the R.I. Airport Corporation.
In 1938, the airport was named in honor of Theodore Francis Green, who served as governor from 1933-36 and as U.S. senator from 1937-61.
In 1961, the airport moved to its current location on Post Road and did not experience a major renovation until 1996. The relocated airport was built for about 300,000 passengers, until minor modifications in 1980 increased that number to 550,000.
Recognizing the need for some updating, in 1988, a bond initiative was approved for $28 million in improvements. But the plan was scrapped when Gov. Bruce Sundlun took office in 1991 and set forth a plan to double its size, feeling a full-scale renovation would make it more competitive and could attract more airlines. To manage the new airport, he proposed the creation of the airport corporation, a quasi-public organization, replacing R.I. Department of Transportation oversight.
Discussions with the airlines over increases in terminal rental rates – from what were the lowest in the country in the 1980s – took the majority of 1993 to iron out. Construction finally began toward the end of 1993 – six months late, but with a lot of optimism. Carol Grant, then head of the newly formed RIAC, predicted the expanded terminal “should serve the state well for the next 50 years.”
The expansion increased the space from 16,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet and added more than 9,000 square feet of concessions space, as well as five gates.
The final price tag was $209 million, well above the initial $176 million budget. But the airport was now able to serve significantly more passengers.
As a self-sustaining entity, RIAC does not use state funds and is paying back the money used from the original general obligation bonds to keep Sundlun’s promise not to use taxpayer dollars on the project. RIAC is responsible for financing projects through revenue from terminal rents, concessions and parking.
Soon after the expansion in 1996, the airport welcomed Southwest Airlines, the Texas-based low-fare carrier. Today, Southwest remains the clear-cut leader, serving nearly 50 percent of the airport’s passengers.
In the three years following the expansion, passenger totals doubled and reached 5 million.
The airport continues to serve more than 5 million people annually, with about 250 flights from 21 gates. In 2020, those numbers are expected to jump to about 11 million passengers yearly and about 630 flights.
In fact, a $76 million, 18-month terminal expansion project, will begin next month. The renovations should allow passengers to get through the ticket and baggage areas in less than 10 minutes even during peak times., said Laurie Cullen, executive vice president of RIAC.
Still, the airport faces challenges in today’s mercurial transportation marketplace.
Just this month Independence Air ended operations and American Airlines announced April 2 will mark its last day of service to the Providence area.
Recognizing the potential to offer nonstop service to the West Coast and Europe, however, RIAC is exploring the possibility of a runway extension. Gov. Donald L. Carcieri and
a grassroots collection of businesspeople called the Go Green Alliance support an expansion of the main runway to 9,000 feet.
Warwick Mayor Scott Avedesian staunchly opposes the expansion citing noise and health concerns for Warwick residents. An Environmental Impact Study will not be completed for another year and a half.
