Published: Thursday, November 25, 2010, 4:51 PM Â Â Â Updated: Thursday, November 25, 2010, 4:51 PM
TRENTON — A fully utilized commercial airport in Atlantic City could taxi tourists directly to the gaming city while generating hundreds of millions in badly needed cash to prop up the troubled casino industry, a South
An outline of Senate President Steve Sweeney’s vision for Atlantic City International Airport is contained in a bill he’s sponsoring to create a new tourism district around the casinos and step up marketing and security in the heart of the struggling resort city.
The bill allows the airport to be sold or leased. Sweeney said profits from a fully functioning airport used by major carriers could infuse Atlantic City with hundreds of millions for redevelopment projects.
The airport is located just outside Atlantic City in Egg Harbor Township. It has long been seen as a key component in the future of Atlantic City if the nation’s second-largest gambling market is to grow beyond a haven for day-trippers who ride the bus here to play for a few hours and then go home.
It has one primary carrier, Spirit Airlines, as well as the AirTran shuttle service, although additional carriers are being sought.
Under Sweeney’s plan, the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) would lease the airport — perhaps to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the area’s busiest airports including Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and JFK.
"You have congestion and delays at two major airports (Newark and Philadelphia), and we have an asset that’s not being utilized," said Sweeney, of Thorofare.
Atlantic City’s airport has two criss-crossing runways, one 10,000 feet long and the other about 6,100 feet. Both are capable of handling commercial jet traffic, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Arlene Salac.
Sharon Gordon, a spokeswoman for the SJTA, which operates the airport, said the authority had no comment on the proposal.
"We’re focused on our mission here and putting all our energy into growing the airport and the other functions of the authority," she said. "We will take our direction from the governor."
The airport proposal is part of a larger plan to rescue Atlantic City, which has been mired in a casino revenue slump for four years. The downturn was brought on by casinos in neighboring states and worsened by the continuing poor economy.
As many as three of the city’s 11 casinos are considered to be in danger of closing if things don’t improve, and a half-finished new casino, Revel, has been stalled for a year, having run out of money.
A measure allowing smaller boutique casinos in Atlantic City passed both houses of the Legislature on Monday and awaits Gov. Chris Christie’s signature. The governor has not indicated whether he would sign it.
Two other Atlantic City-related measures stalled Monday, including Sweeney’s bill to create the casino district. He said the airport proposal was one of the wrinkles.
The bill would create the Atlantic City Casino District encompassing the 11 casinos, overseen by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA).
The significance of whether the CRDA or another agency takes control of the tourism district is that whoever is placed in charge of it will have the biggest say in how the Atlantic City gambling market fares for the next five to 10 years, one of the most crucial periods in its history.
Sweeney said it makes sense to create a one-stop shop for businesses interested in investing in Atlantic City and to use an existing agency as the umbrella.
"The frustration you hear from a lot of people in Atlantic City is they can’t get answers," he said. "You go into a big, black hole and you cant get out."
Christie proposed creating a tourism district as part of his sweeping plan to remake the casino and horse racing industries.
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