Flooding from Monday’s heavy rainfall and thunderstorms caused Tweed-New Haven Airport to cancel all flights through Tuesday afternoon.
Storm drains couldn’t keep up with the downpour causing flooding on the tarmac as well as inside the terminal where several inches of water were reported. Multiple fans were set up to help dry out the carpeting and equipment.
In the parking lot Stratford resident Dan Senft was arriving from Hartford. He had to make other arrangements when his flight from Philadelphia back to New Haven was canceled.
“I started making some phone calls – I was at the Admirals Club in Philadelphia and was able to get another flight to Hartford and then just got an Uber down here,” Senft said. “I figured because of the rain that you had last night that the plane couldn’t get over to Philadelphia this morning.”
By the afternoon, much of the water had receded and TSA workers were arriving for their shifts. Flights resumed at 5:45 to Philadelphia.
Tweed-New Haven Airport is situated in a low-lying coastal marsh area. Increased flooding due to climate change is one of the issues cited by those opposing a long-planned airport expansion.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the airport following a lengthy lawsuit seeking to extend the runway to attract additional service to the area.
The panel of judges ruled that a 2009 law limiting the runway to its current 5,600 feet threatened existing airline service and prevented it from attracting more commercial flights.
But State Senate President Martin Looney and State Sen. Len Fasano are urging Attorney General William Tong to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
