Benchmarking shows multiple paths for Plymouth airport growth; officials urged to "pick battles wisely"

Consultants shared benchmarking results from about 77 airports within a 100-mile radius and identified several models other airports have used to grow. Some airports focus on parking revenue and community-driven commercial growth, others subsidize landing fees to attract transient traffic, and some make large capital investments to attract corporate users. Cartik said these findings show there is no one-size-fits-all approach and urged the commission to pick a strategic niche that leverages Plymouth's assets.

"We can either be a private jets corporate traffic or private rich traffic coming flying into the airport. We can focus on being a flight training hub. We can focus on being a workforce training thing," Cartik said, adding that emerging opportunities such as drone testing and electric aviation could be considered as longer-term options. He emphasized the importance of pairing runway improvements with maintenance capacity and governance structures to lower friction for growth.

The benchmarking highlighted regional competitors that have pursued different tactics: subsidized landing fees to draw transient fuel business, aggressive hanger construction to meet demand, and coordinated interagency investment to attract corporate traffic. The consultants said the prioritized recommendations will include an economic-impact analysis and phased scenarios (safe, base, optimistic) to guide which niche Plymouth should pursue.