New Bedford Airport Approved For International Flights

International travellers can now make a stop in the Whaling City.

The New Bedford Regional Airport announced on Thursday that they have received the approvals needed from United States Customs and Border Protection and the United States Department of Agriculture to accept international flights.

Airport Director Erick D`Leon told WBSM News that the approval from the United States Customs and Border Protection relates to the travelers and their passports.

The approval from the United States Department of Agriculture relates to the food and trash the travelers come over with.

"The tenants here took that upon themselves to insure that they meet the compliance factors with that, which basically means that they have a process in place, they purchased equipment that handles that trash, sterilizes it, and makes it safe for disposal with standard trash," said D`Leon.

D'Leon says they've seen a 25 percent increase in jet traffic over the past year with flights coming from locations including the United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, and Italy which he credits in large part to infrastructure upgrades they made at the airport.

"We've got a brand new runway that was completed in 2014, a new taxi way to compliment that, this year, just a few weeks ago we finished that up, they're seeing the investments that are being made here," said D`Leon "we've got a new corporate hangar, 11,000 square foot corporate jet hangar being built as we speak, commercial services on the rise."

In addition to the international flight D'leon says they're also looking at expanding domestic offerings including an airline interested in making more flights to the islands and another airline that would like to provide service to Florida.