NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Tweed New Haven Airport has submitted its environmental permit applications to the state’s Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) in its next step in expanding the airport.

Submitting the inland and tidal wetland permit applications to DEEP is “a major step forward” in the regional airport’s proposed expansion of a new terminal and runway extension, Tweed’s officials said in an announcement Wednesday.

Read the Inland & Wetland Permit Application here.

The new East Terminal is set to be an 80,000-square-foot facility with four gates and two additional boarding positions, 4,000-vehicle parking, and a new access road from Proto Drive. The proposal mentions that the extension will include making the new terminal flood resilient by building it on piers to raise it above the “100-year flood” elevation. Long-term plans to protect wetlands and grasslands were also proposed.

The 02-20 runway will be extended to 6,575 feet, adding 639 feet to the south and 336 feet to the north.

“This submission represents the culmination of years of hard work, collaboration, and a deep commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible growth,” said Jorge Roberts, CEO of Avports, LLC.  “We are proud to take this important step forward with a plan that supports the needs of our growing region while carefully prioritizing the protection of our natural resources.”

“The submission of this application and the associated public review process are both important milestones as we look to develop a new passenger terminal in an environmentally responsible manner,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.

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The airport passed another environmental hurdle from the FAA in December 2023, when the Administration found “no significant impact” on the environment in the proposed expansions. Save The Sound then sent an appeal to the FAA regarding the “no impact” evaluation of Tweed’s Draft Environmental Assessment, claiming the FAA was in “complete failure to meaningfully analyze and mitigate the significant impacts of the runway and terminal expansion of an airport that is located almost entirely in a floodplain in a residential, Environmental Justice neighborhood.”

Officials told FOX61 in March 2023 that the impact would be positive, as they said the relocated terminal would reduce noise and emissions on the ground.

Neighbors and the East Haven mayor are not convinced, and have continuously expressed concerns over health impacts, noise, traffic and property values since the expansion proposal was first announced in May 2021.

Tweed placed two noise monitors near the active areas of the airport between January and April 2025. The report generated from the monitoring found that aircraft noises peaked as high as 102 decibels. Any time a noise that went over 65 decibels for more than three seconds was recorded.

As expansion plans continue, Tweed will hold six more community meetings between June and November 2025. Updates on upcoming meetings can be found here.

Leah Myers is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at LMyers@fox61.com

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