#CancelCapeAir or #CloseHYA
There has been an estimated 500% increase in sponsored training flights since 2017.
#CancelCapeAir or #CloseHYA
There has been an estimated 500% increase in sponsored training flights since 2017.
An observed 65 hours of training in ten days...
To put that in perspective - JetBlue & American transported 55,000 passengers in 2025 spent less than 135 hours flying over Cape.
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in plane noise beyond the 3-mile radius of the town-owned Cape Cod Gateway Airport, located in Barnstable, MA. This noise is not an increase in revenue generating passenger flights, but rather a 500% increase in corporate sponsored flight training since 2017.
According to Cape Air's website, trainees must be enrolled with either the JetBlue Gateway Program or Republic Airways Lift Academy to be eligible for the Cape Air training/time building FO program on Cape Cod. [Note: As per Republic Airways SEC 10-K annual report, Republic now owns 43.6% of Cape Air]. Once the students are trained and fulfill a one year commitment to Cape Air, they are returned to JetBlue or Republic.
After a review of tracking websites like FlightRadar24 and FlightAware the non-passenger training flights occur on average of 7 hours per day, or upwards of 2,555 hours per year. To put that in perspective, JetBlue and American transported approximately 55,000 passengers through the Cape Cod Gateway Airport in 2025, which for 80-days at 10 flights per day (inbound & outbound) and 10-minutes per flight, equates to less than 135 hours of flight time over Cape.
PASSENGERS/TOURISM
While Cape Air's flight training has increased by an estimated 500% since 2017, overall passenger enplanes/deplanes have declined. According to the Airport and the Town of Barnstable's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report the airport had over 400K passengers in 2007, 200K in 2017 and 55K in 2025. Meanwhile, the Sagamore and Bourne bridges see a year-round average of 100K vehicles per day.
REVENUE
Passengers are down, operations are down and the airport's expenses continue to outpace their revenue. Meanwhile, the airport is planning to waste $43,822,160 (FY27-FY31) in taxpayer money to expand the financially unstable Cape Cod Gateway Airport. On 16 April 2026 the Town of Barnstable Town Council approved the first $4.65M of the expansion plan.
After FY27 approvals, the airport has a cash reserve of approximately $8M - which was funded by $21M in Covid-19 taxpayer money If not for the Covid-19 windfall, the airport would have a current debt in excess of $13M. In response to the windfall, the FY22 Comprehensive Financial Advisory Committee commented, "Most notable is an $18M award for the Cape Cod Gateway Airport, which should ensure its financial stability for the next several years." Unfortunately, as quickly as the airport manager received the $21M, she spent it. [Note: As per USASpending.gov the total Covid-19 windfall received and spent by the town-owned Cape Cod Gateway Airport was $21,779,677.04].
BOSTON MEDFLIGHT
Boston MedFlight does not require two 150' x 5000' + runways to land. The helicopters only require a cleared landing zone of 100ft x 100ft illuminated at four corners (emergency vehicles suffice).
CAPE COD HEALTH
Cape Cod Hospital is at the end of runways 6/24 and 15/33. The lead fueled training flights regularly fly below 200 feet over the sick and dying.
PFAS/ Drinking Water
Cape Cod's drinking water comes from a sole source aquifer and the Cape Cod Gateway Airport sits on top of one of the six lenses to the aquifer. There are PFAS plumes stemming from the airport and while the airport is attempting to mitigate their responsibility, the fact remains that the Cape Cod Gateway Airport caused PFAS contamination in the community. Further, since sources of PFAS are still in use (e.g. airplane hydraulic fluids with PFAS additives, firefighting foam), then the airport is likely still contaminating the community.
LEAD FUEL
Cape Air and Gull Air use Avgas 100LL (low lead) fuel in their airplanes. The health effects of 100LL are well documented by the EPA and NIH. Additional resources include the California Department of Health and their lead data sheet. If you would like to know your exposure, but do not want to have blood drawn, there are several test kits that may give you insight into lead concentrations in your soil.
THE ASK
As residents and community members, we are calling on Cape Air, Republic Airways and JetBlue to STOP their sponsored flight training on Cape Cod. We are also calling on the Town of Barnstable Town Council to deny all funding requests for this airport going forward. The airport is an Enterprise fund and must survive on its own. It cannot continue to sacrifice the financial stability and health of this community by accepting MORE taxpayer money from the FAA and MassDOT.
"Would an intelligent species destroy its own environment?" - UNNOWN
A typical training day on Cape Cod...
Take Action & Contact
Hyannis Airport Manager (Noise):
FAA (Noise)
781-238-7400
www.faa.gov/noise (ANCIR Portal)
FAA (Low Flying)
781-238-7500
Town Council:
Sen. Warren:
617-565-3170 (Boston)
Sen. Markey:
617-565-8519 (Boston)
Rep. Keating:
508-771-6868