WESTFIELD — Over the last five years, the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport has seen remarkable growth and one of the driving forces behind that growth was Chris Willenborg, who announced in early April he was leaving his position as airport manager to take a similar position at the Hanscom Air Force Base.
“It’s been an honor working closely with the airport management team, a dynamic Airport Commission, a supportive mayor and City Council, and engaged businesses and residents,” Willenborg said at the City Council meeting when announcing he was leaving Westfield.
He said Tuesday that he accepted the position of airport director at Hanscom, which is located in Littleton and started April 14.
“The duties are similar to what I was doing at Barnes,” Willenborg said on his cell phone while driving to a meeting at the Boston Logan International Airport.
About Hanscom, he said, it was the second busiest airport in New England after Logan and annually has about 120,000 aircraft operations.
He called the new position an “exciting opportunity” and “incredible career opportunity.”
Willenborg served as the airport director from 1999 to 2008 and returned in 2020.
During those last five years, he said, aircraft operations are up 20% and revenues increased 40% to about $1.4 million annually.
He said other than the city having to invest $600,000 to match federal, state, and private sector grants, the airport has been operating in the black since 2022.
That match was used for grant funds of nearly $65 million used to enhance the airport’s infrastructure which included runway and taxiway enhancements, additional hanger space, and the terminal was renovated.
Willenborg was most proud of the infrastructure improvements during the last five years.
Mayor Michael McCabe had nothing but kind words about Willenborg’s service to the city.
“Chris is the epitome of the consummate professional, his kindness and caring towards his employees and his mission-driven outcomes were second to none,” McCabe said. “He will be missed by the City of Westfield and by me personally. I wish him and his family nothing but the best. Hanscom is lucky to have him.”
Willenborg said that after the growth over the last five years, “the airport has a bright future.”
During the City Council meeting, Willenborg announced that the airport’s first electric-powered aircraft, a BETA Technologies ALIA VTOL, had stopped at the airport to charge its batteries using a charge station installed by BETA Technologies.
In December, the airport partnered with Vermont-based BETA and Atlantic Aviation to install the electric charger just off the tarmac in front of the airport’s original hanger and air traffic control tower.
In 2020, Willenborg replaced former airport manager Eric Billowitz, who had served for three years.
Jeff Lovejoy, the airport’s assistant director, has been tapped to be acting director until a replacement is found.
The posting on the city website is required to be open for 30 days, during which time applications will be accepted. The city personnel department will then narrow down the applicants to a short list of top candidates from which the new airport manager will be chosen.
Read the original article on MassLive.