Airport Prepares for Arrival of GE’s Jets, Corporate Pilots

By Jim Carroll, Erie Times-News, Pa.

Apr. 6–Erie International Airport officials are trying to make sure the red carpet reaches all the way to the tarmac when visitors fly in for General Electric Co.’s annual shareholders meeting this month.

“Our service is going to be top-notch,” said Joe Ceresa, line service manager at North Coast Air, the company that sells fuel and serves private planes at Erie International.

Ceresa said the airport expects anywhere from 15 to 35 business jets to fly in before the April 23 shareholders meeting.

“Obviously the GE fleet is coming, and companies that do trips for GE, as well,” he said.

The Erie Municipal Airport Authority has agreed to shut down Runway 2-20 — its shorter, 3,500-foot runway — to provide parking space for the business jets.

“If you drive by that day you should see a wide variety of types and colors of jets,” Ceresa said.

Meanwhile, the commercial passenger side of the airport will also look sharp and be ready for people flying in on scheduled airline flights, said Christopher Rodgers, the airport’s interim executive director.

VisitErie, the county’s lead tourism agency, plans to have a table set up in the terminal to welcome visitors, Rodgers said.

Ceresa said North Coast also plans for take care of the pilots of the business jets while they are here. “We are going to have a spread set up for the pilots and some extra crew cars,” he said. Crew cars are vehicles loaned to visiting pilots to give them a chance to drive around the community.

“It is a day that we know a lot of eyes will be focused on Erie, and we want their first impression to be a good one whether they fly into the passenger terminal or North Coast Air,” Rodgers said.

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