Massport aviation head: Airport is strategic asset

Full and original article posted on Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER —  Edward C. Freni, director of aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority, told a City Council subcommittee last night that despite another loss of commercial flights out of Worcester Regional Airport, the authority still sees the airport as a strategic asset.

Air charter service Direct Air yesterday suffered a legal blow yesterday when a judge ruled that the company be liquidated, after it canceled flights and stranded passengers last month. Despite Direct Air’s failure, Mr. Freni told the Public Service and Transportation Committee that Massport was just as angry and surprised as everyone else at Direct Air’s failure, particularly since Worcester was one of its strongest markets. He said planes were 80 percent full, and the number of passengers rose from 50,000 to 100,000 in three years.

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