Massachusetts Statewide Airport System Plan (MSASP) history

MassDOT Aeronautics Division is responsible for maintaining the statewide airport system plan for the 35 public-use general aviation airports that the division oversees across the Commonwealth. Additionally, MassDOT coordinates with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) to include corresponding data for the statewide airport system plan on the three remaining airports in the Commonwealth that are owned and operated by Massport. The statewide airport system is a dynamic transportation asset that has been operated and developed to meet the diverse transportation and economic needs of the Commonwealth. Ensuring that this system remains vibrant and effective for the Commonwealth is a critical goal for the Aeronautics Division. As such, the Aeronautics Division has sponsored and initiated the Massachusetts Statewide Airport System Plan (MSASP), which will serve as an important tool for the Commonwealth to help shape key policies and direct the development needs of Massachusetts' system of airports for years to come.

Generally, the MSASP will:

• Document the status of the current airport system
• Provide a long term vision for the system
• Identify system goals and related improvements
• Set priorities for system and airport funding
• Provide supporting data and materials

To ensure the effectiveness of the MSASP, a strategic approach has been developed to evaluate the public use airport system within the Commonwealth. The MSASP will provide guidance for the long term development of the Massachusetts Statewide Airport System and will embody the following characteristics:

• Quality: The MSASP will be technically sound.
• Flexibility: The MSASP will be visionary yet realistic, while providing insight into how the Commonwealth can best achieve its goals and objectives.
• Usefulness: The MSASP be useful to the Commonwealth and the key stakeholders of the statewide airport system.
• Involvement: The MSASP will be developed with the use of meaningful stakeholder and community outreach and interaction.

A primary objective of the Massachusetts Statewide Airport System Plan is to capture an appropriate level of data that will ultimately be utilized to help the Aeronautics Division make informed decisions related to planning and developing the state airport system. To achieve this objective, as well as to establish parameters for the data collected, the Aeronautics Division must first establish a long-term vision for the Massachusetts public-use airport system through the system planning effort. Subsequent to this, specific and individual system goals must also be established by the Aeronautics Division to help measure and direct the state airport system's progress with respect to that established vision. The combination of the system vision and system goals forms the basis for meeting that primary objective of data collection.

The following represents the "vision" for the Massachusetts statewide airport system as established by the Aeronautics Division for the purposes of this system planning project.

Provide a safe and efficient airport system that accommodates demand, supports economic and transportation needs, and maximizes funding resources

The following goals were identified by the Aeronautics Division to define this vision for achieving an adequate airport system:

• Standards - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should be served by a system of airports that are safe, secure, and meet applicable FAA design standards that will satisfy the current and future needs of aviation.
• Environmental Compliance & Stewardship - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should be served by a system of airports that complies with all federal, state, and local environmental regulatory requirements.
• Economic - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should identify the economic impact of the Massachusetts' system airports and the economic benefit of incremental investment in the aviation system.
• Preservation - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should be served by an efficient airport system with sufficient facilities and services to maintain the state airport system and address the current/future needs of the aviation community.
• Public Outreach - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should be served by a system of airports that promote and support aviation educational programs and community outreach programs.
• Transportation Integration & Accessibility - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts should be served by a system of airports that is easily accessible from both the ground and the air, and supports integration with other modes of transportation.

(Note that performance measures were developed as a quantitative means to measure system performance for achieving these goals. These measures were considered for establishing the parameters of the data collection effort.)

Project Management Team

The Aeronautics Division established a Project Management Team (PMT) to serve in an advisory role by providing input and comment during the project in order to help ensure the MSASP effectively addresses the key issues facing the statewide airport system. Meeting up to six times throughout the planning process, the PMT membership represents a cross section of the Massachusetts community of aviation stakeholders, including various state and federal government officials, airport and business representatives, airport users, and other interested agencies from across the state. The PMT plays a critical role in this planning effort in that members are responsible to act as conduits to the airports, agencies, and other constituencies that they represent.

The Aeronautics Division has elected to utilize a diverse outreach program for this project that provides for a broad scope and emphasizes electronic media for its immediacy and for its capacity for dynamic interaction. Specifically, the outreach initiatives will include the following:

• Newsletters and exhibits
• Two presentations to the Massachusetts Airport Managers Association (MAMA)
• Two public presentations of the final MSASP work products that will be conducted at the conclusion of the study at two locations within the state.
• Mailing lists for email communication

Click below to view outreach products produced by the Project Team.

The airport inventory and data collection task is a critical element of the Massachusetts Statewide Airport System Plan (MSASP) since the data collected will not only be used to support this airport system plan, but will also help the MassDOT Aeronautics Division to easily identify, document, and understand its current and planned airport system assets. Specifically, the inventory survey effort conducted as part the MSASP will entail the collection of all relevant airport data through research of existing databases, personal interviews, and visits to each of Massachusetts public use airports. Data to be collected generally encompasses the following:

• General airport information
• Airside facilities
• Landside facilities
• Environmental considerations
• Airport operational and service levels
• Airport outreach and education
• Local airport-related business activities
• Airport pavement conditions

The results of this data collection effort will form the foundation of all subsequent tasks within the MSASP, including the system goals and performance measures established by the Aeronautics Division and the Project Management Team (PMT), as well as airport roles, role factors, facility requirements, among other elements. Of additional benefit to Massachusetts, the results of this effort will also be used as a data reservoir for future anticipated planning initiatives within the Commonwealth.