MANCHESTER, N.H. – By any metric, 2025 was a good year for Boston-Regional Regional Airport, better known locally by its International Air Transportation Association code: MHT.
In the annual presentation on the airport’s year in review to the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s Special Committee on Airport Activities, MHT Airport Director Tom Malafronte provided a positive report, echoing past positive reports from former MHT Airport Director Ted Kitchens in 2021, 2022 and 2024 among others.
Malafronte highlighted the 13 percent rise in year-over-year passenger volume, the best year since 2019 as well as the recent news that 2025 set a record for cargo, however these were not the only positive points in his presentation. Nearby properties owned by MHT such as the Executive Fitness Club and underutilized facilities such as the Ammon Center are expected to receive upgrades in the near future. General aviation, or businesses that use the airport’s runways other than the cargo and passenger carriers, also grew as MHT sought to create a more focused general aviation cluster, as Signature Aviation is planning a new 31,000 square-foot hangar and ProStar Aviation is in final design for a 40,000 square-foot hangar expansion.
“We’re encouraging (General Aviation tenants) to grow, we’re encouraging them to develop and we’ll continue to look at our master plan so we can let them know they’ll always have a home in Manchester,” said Malafronte.
In hope of continuing the airport’s trend of positive reports, Malafronte reported that MHT has developed a new five-year Airport Capital Improvement Program that identifies $97 million capital plan, with 90 percent of funding coming from federal funds. In 2026, the capital plan includes reconstruction of Taxiway G and D ($2.8 million) design work on Taxiway E ($750,000), electrical vault reconstruction ($6.1 million), snow removal equipment procurement ($3.7 million) and an airport drainage study ($450,000). Future years in the program will focus on modernization of the airport’s terminal and avoiding debt spikes in 2027 and 2028 through bond restructuring is also set to be a key focus in upcoming years.
Another key factor to continued positive news from the airport relies on airlines staying and growing with the airport. While Avelo and Spirit have stopped or paused routes in recent years, MHT has also seen expanded flights from Jet Blue and Breeze Airways. Malafronte hopes to entice airlines to stay and grow with MHT through discounted rates for carriers who agree to stay for at least five years.
More information on the master plan and efforts regarding debt restructuring would be forthcoming.