Worcester Regional Airport - History

History

Worcester's entry into the world of aviation began in 1925, when city officials commissioned a study to examine suitable sites for the city's first airport. On the list of probable sites was the land owned by a wealthy local citizen, Whitin Whitall. In 1927, Whitall, independently of the city commission, set up an airport on his land in North Grafton, 500 feet (150 m) above sea level. This two-runway airport opened for leisure travel on 12 October 1927.

As air travel became more popular throughout the country and Central Massachusetts, the question of airport expansion became the subject of a second study commissioned by the Worcester city government. The Grafton airport was deemed too small to accommodate the air travel needs of the region. The location of the present airport, Tatnuck Hill, an area that straddles the borders of Worcester, Leicester, and Paxton, was high on the commission's list. One problem noted by the commission and several prominent citizens was the weather: at 1,000-foot (300 m) above sea level, the Tatnuck site was often surrounded by fog. Despite this problem, the city eventually chose Tatnuck as the new site, and construction began in 1944. The airport was ceremoniously opened on 4 May 1946, and started regular passenger service one week later on 10 May 1946.

The Grafton airport remained in operation until 1951, when the owners, due to the dwindling traffic, decided to dismantle the airport. The land was redeveloped as a residential neighbourhood. Leicester Airport, a small private airfield also built during the first half-century of aviation, was active until the 1970s. It still sits, now mostly overgrown in the shadow of Worcester Regional.

Millions of dollars were spent replacing the old terminal, which hosted a half-dozen airlines before its demolition. In the mid 1980s and early 1990s, major carriers, such as Piedmont, Continental, and USAir all flew mainline jets into Worcester. In addition, smaller carriers, like New York Air and Presidential Airways also had jet service. The small terminal had two ground level jetways built to accommodate the growth. But one by one, those carriers left. A succession of second-tier air carriers have come and gone over the last decade.

Allegiant Air began service to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) on 22 December 2005, using Boeing MD-80 type aircraft. The airline expanded to 4 flights per week in March 2006. Allegiant announced on 22 August 2006, that they would cut ties with the airport, citing high fuel costs and passenger loads in the 80% range as the reason for departure. The departure came as a huge surprise to the city as service was reported to be going great throughout Allegiant's entire tenure at the airport.

On 4 September 2008, Direct Air announced they would begin service to Worcester beginning in November 2008, with flights from Orlando, FL and Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, FL. The flights were operated by Virgin America using Airbus A320 aircraft, until Direct Air returned the aircraft in June 2009 to suffice Virgin's rapidly expanding domestic routes. Flights used to be operated by a Falcon Air Express MD-83. In March 2009, Direct Air added additional flights to Myrtle Beach, SC. In July 2010, Direct Air expanded their Worcester service further to West Palm Beach. In March 2012, Direct Air suspended operations from Worcester, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 12, 2012. No regular commercial service to Worcester airport remains at this time.

The airport commission had suggested Worcester/Metrowest Boston Regional Airport as a new name for the airport in 2006. However this topic has not been pursued further.

In late 2009, the airport's terminal was used to film scenes from the movie Knight and Day, starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.