New carrier fuels airport expansion dreams

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. -- As he watched the first Skybus morning flight soar through clear blue sky yesterday toward Columbus, Ohio, Portsmouth International Airport's top leader, Richard Green , was dreaming big dreams for the future.

Green, executive director of the Pease Development Authority , which oversees the airport and former Air Force base properties and is working to turn them into an "international tradeport," said he's optimistic about the new ultra-low-fare carrier rapidly expanding its Portsmouth service .

Surrounded by Logan International Airport in Massachusetts to the south, Manchester Boston Regional Airport in New Hampshire to the west, and Portland International Jetport in Maine to the north, Portsmouth is unlikely to become another major commercial airport, Green said. Its only other scheduled service now is two weekly Allegiant Air jet flights to Sanford, Fla., in cold months and propeller-plane service on Pan Am Clipper Connection to Hanscom Field in Bedford , Mass .

But with Skybus planning to add 70 more jets to its eight-plane fleet in five years and expand far beyond its current eight destinations feeding a Columbus hub, Green said, "We will certainly be very aggressive in trying to become a focus city for Skybus." He envisions flights from Portsmouth to Florida and the West Coast.

Bill Dieffenderffer , chief executive of the start-up airline, wouldn't comment specifically on Skybus service expansions from Portsmouth. But he said: "We've got more plans for this airport as we grow. We've attracted $160 million in start-up capital, more than any airline in history, and we didn't sign up for 80 more planes just to operate long-term out of Columbus with eight destinations. We believe there's lots of opportunity for growth, and we think Portsmouth is an excellent gateway for New England."

Last fall, in a major 20-year New England aviation forecast, the Federal Aviation Administration and a coalition of New England airports projected total travel at the region's 10 biggest airports could grow to 76 million passengers in 2020 from 43 million in 2004. But the New England Regional Airport System Plan made no projections for Portsmouth, predicting that it would be "a niche airport" serving mainly charter flights and unique services like the double-deck Airbus A380, which can carry up to 850 passengers. The Airbus A380 is too big for regular landings at Logan International Airport terminals, but is easily accommodated by Portsmouth's 11,300-foot-long runway, originally built for B-52 bombers and troop transport planes.

Peter J. Howe can be reached at howe@globe.com.