FedEx's Hanscom bid may face hurdle

Boston Globe
June 18, 2003

FedEx's Hanscom bid may face hurdle
Residents opposed to more air traffic may fight expansion

By Keith Reed, Globe Staff

A fight is brewing over whether air cargo company FedEx Express should begin flying its cargo shipments in and out of Hanscom Field Airport in Bedford.

FedEx officials met with Massachusetts Port Authority chief executive Craig T. Coy in Boston on Monday to discuss the shipping firm's possible expansion into Hanscom. FedEx says it needs to use the airport because traffic at Logan International Airport in Boston can delay deliveries.

But representatives from communities near Hanscom oppose further commercial air traffic at Hanscom. Critics say jet traffic at the airport has been increasing for the past three years, contributing to noise and pollution in the area. Residents also say they're upset at not having a say in the process.

''This is just the beginning,'' Sheldon Moll, a Bedford selectman and a member of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission, said referring to Massport's efforts to increase jet traffic at Hanscom. ''There's not much that the residents can do about it, except treat it as an environmental impact. Those attempts have been rebutted, so we haven't won much when it comes to environmental. That's the only edge we have.''

The prospect of Memphis-based FedEx Express operating out of Hanscom arose in April, when Massport officials informed community residents that FedEx had inquired about landing fees and other costs associated with operating there.

At the time, both Massport and FedEx said such an inquiry was a routine matter and not an indicator that the package shipper was planning operations at the airport. FedEx had run cargo shipments out of Hanscom previously, between 1973 and 1978.

Then FedEx called Massport last Friday and asked for a meeting, said Jose Juves, a Massport spokesman.

''I think this is a testament to the local economy, that during a period of a downturn that FedEx Express is looking to expand operations. It's a good indication of the strength of our economy and could be an indication of things beginning to turn around,'' he said. Massport, Juves added, has done environmental analysis at Hanscom that indicated no significant impact from limited cargo operations there.

FedEx asked Massport to allow it one cargo flight in and out of Hanscom each day before 11 p.m., using an Airbus A300 jet aircraft, said Pam Roberson, a FedEx spokeswoman. But no plans have been finalized.

FedEx, which has 10 cargo flights in and out of Logan daily and employs about 350 people there, sometimes has to wait for a place to park its planes before unloading them to one of 10 local processing centers, Roberson said.

Although FedEx typically holds community forums and town hall meetings, Roberson said she couldn't guarantee that would happen in this case.

Still, some activists accuse Massport and FedEx of moving forward without community input and are vowing to keep FedEx out.

''We never heard anything,'' said Anna Winter, executive director of Save Our Heritage, a nonprofit environmental group based in Concord. ''It's an unwise move on the part of FedEx, and if need be, we'll launch a significant national campaign'' against them operating at Hanscom.

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