DelDot and Dover Air Force Base have teamed up to authorize new flight operations

DOVER, Del. – The United States Air Force and the State of Delaware have extended a 50-year agreement to allow commercial and civilian flights to operate on base.

Delaware Senator Chris Coons, said the First State has needed, something like this for a long time. “Dover is a great place to build a civil air terminal because there is a congested air space all along the East Coast, the major air freight terminals, in New York City, in Baltimore, in Washington DC, Atlanta, and far north, are congested and overcrowded.”

The agreement not only authorized the use of different flight operations, but it also increases jobs across the state. Senior U.S Senator of Delaware Tom Carper said this new extension helps the state economy in a plethora of ways, and jobs are one of them.

“Taking Huge investments, we made in the Dover Air Force base on the military purpose, but to be able to serve another purpose means job creation and job preservation. “Said Carper.

There’s still work to be done though, the state must find willing companies that will make those investments to use the space, and Kent Economic Partnership executive director Linda Parkowski said, although the foundations are set, there is plenty of work to still be done.

“We got the joint use agreement signed, now it’s time to go to work and get the job done. This has the opportunity to be quite the economic engine in the state of Delaware.”

Senator, Coons is excited for the future of the State and city of Dover itself.

“We’ve got the workforce, we’ve got the land, we got the airspace and now we have the rights, we’re going to see an economic future here for Dover,” said Coons.