Tweed New Haven Airport’s executive director plans to retire in 2026.

Tom Rafter stepped into the top airport role in January 2023 after his predecessor, Sean Scanlon, resigned to take office as state comptroller.

Rafter will retire in 2026 at the conclusion of his current contract, according to a Thursday email press release. The Morris Cove airport authority’s board “has initiated the process to identify and recruit the next Executive Director to lead the organization through its next phase of growth and development.” Rafter has reached an agreement with the airport authority to help with the transition and with the onboarding of his successor.

The press release describes Rafter’s tenure as advancing the airport through “one of the most dynamic periods in its 94-year history. Passenger traffic has grown from fewer than 30,000 in 2021 to more than 700,000 in the past year. The airport has also achieved significant milestones, with the design of the new East Terminal now 70 percent complete and progress continuing on the runway extension project—both major investments that will strengthen Southern Connecticut’s economic and transportation infrastructure.”

Click here to read about about when Scanlon and a host of city and state officials first announced in May 2021 the airport’s plans to extend its runway and construct a new, larger terminal on the East Haven side of the property.

Click here to read about the latest with that long-planned terminal expansion, which, as of August 2025, was reportedly at 60 percent design completion.

Thursday’s announcement of Rafter’s retirement comes nearly two years after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ruled in December 2023 that Tweed can move forward with this new terminal as well as with extending the main runway from 5,600 to 6,575 feet.

The environmental nonprofit Save The Sound and the Town of East Haven have appealed that Environmental Assessment approval in a case still working its way through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

All of this comes as the airport has seen a surge in commercial air traffic since November 2021 thanks to direct routes flown from Tweed by Avelo Airlines and Breeze Airlines.

Meanwhile, some Morris Cove, East Haven, and Branford neighbors have consistently raised concerns about more airplane traffic out of Tweed — and the resulting loud noises, air pollution, and vehicle traffic — hurting their quality of life.