Worcester to Washington, 15 years in the making

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The last time Worcester Regional Airport had two different airlines offering regular passenger service out of the facility, George W. Bush was president, Timothy Murray was mayor and the New England Patriots were the Super Bowl Champions.

When the CEO of Hyannis-based Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services announced in October his airline will offer passenger service starting in 2017 from Worcester to the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. airport and onto Florida, it became the first time since 2002 two airlines offered regular flights out of Central Massachusetts.

CEO Richard Cawley said his company, which currently offers private jet service and maintenance on those airplanes, is working with the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin regular flights of 30 passengers out of Worcester in about a year's time. Cawley expects the inaugural flight to take off sometime in 2017.

The flights will go to Baltimore/Washington International Airport. The airline will then offer continuing service onto Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, where Rectrix already has private jet and maintenance facilities.

The only airline currently offering regular passenger service out of Worcester is JetBlue Airways, which flies to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. The last airlines to join forces flying out of Worcester were American Eagle Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways and Pan American Airways back in 2002.

Rectrix's Worcester investment

Rectrix announced in September it is relocating its private jet fleet to the Worcester, after selecting the facility as its maintenance base of operations. The company has about 50,000 square feet of space at the Central Massachusetts airport.

“It's simply a great location for business and an easy destination for our personnel since the airport is right off the Mass Pike,” Cawley said at the announcement.

The jets will be housed at the company's new $5-million Aerodrome facility that opened in November. The airport offers access to the Boston market as well as the companies increasingly moving to the MetroWest and Worcester area, said Cawley. The jets had previously been housed in Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford.

“The investment Massport is making in the Worcester Airport – a renovated fire station with new equipment and a new bad weather instrument landing system are paying dividends with new jobs,” Massport CEO Thomas Glynn said in the announcements.

The facility features fleet maintenance and hangar space, as well as fueling, de-icing, aircraft exterior and interior cleaning, ground power units, and aircraft service equipment.

Flying between Hyannis & Nantucket

Cawley's announcement about the Worcester-to-DC flight came a few days before his airline began flying passenger service between Cape Cod and Nantucket on Oct. 20.

This is the first air carrier venture for Rectrix, which is offering daily flights and higher volumes on the weekends.

“We are very eager to begin this daily service between Hyannis and Nantucket … and look forward to a long relationship servicing this route,” Cawley said.