OBPA: plane stored as favor

OGDENSBURG — The Ogdensburg International Airport has started using its newly constructed transient hangar a little sooner than expected.

As the project to turn storage space at the airport terminal into a commercial aviation hangar continues, Cape Air, Hyannis, Mass., has been storing a plane at the recently completed 3,800-square-foot transient hangar without a lease agreement.

Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority officials are in discussions with the airline to house the nine-seat Cessna 402B at the commercial aviation hangar once it is complete, OBPA Executive Director Wade A. Davis said.

Officials expect the project can be done before the end of the year, but in the meantime the plane is being housed overnight at the transient facility to ensure the craft is not damaged by the cold weather and the schedule, which includes a 6:38 a.m. flight to Albany, is maintained.

"We're doing it as a courtesy at this point," Mr. Davis said. "We are providing, on a temporary basis with transient hangar, what will be permanent once the doors are in. It's not causing or creating any problems."

Mr. Davis said keeping the plane at the facility does not add significantly to the cost of heating and would not affect negotiations with the airline.

The authority does have a rental agreement with Cape Air for a ticket counter, office and baggage screening area for about $14,340 per year. The agreement is in effect until August.

Cape Air provides service to the Ogdensburg Airport through the two-year Essential Air Service agreement that was signed in March 2008. The federal government provides a $3,879,863 annual subsidy to the airline for flying to Albany from Watertown, Ogdensburg and Massena airports.

According to Mr. Davis, there was not a need to store Cape Air planes overnight at the Ogdensburg Airport because last winter the early morning flight was replaced with an evening one to ensure planes originated from Albany.

"Last year, when they had to change the schedule, that was one of the reasons why: They could not overnight the aircraft because it was bigger than the hangar space that we had available at that time," Mr. Davis said. "Until this year we have not had facilities capable of overnighting the aircraft."

Cape Air officials did not return calls and messages for comment.