About Us

About Syracuse Hancock
International Airport

Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) is operated by the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority, a New York public benefit corporation with an 11 member board. The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority was established on August 17, 2011 and the Airport’s FAA operating certificate was transferred from the City of Syracuse to the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority in order to operate the airport on March 1, 2014.

The airport is Central New York’s gateway to the world with nonstop service to 29 destinations. Syracuse Hancock International Airport is a great place to begin your journey.

Mission, Vision, Values

Mission

The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority serves Upstate New York, providing a safe, convenient, seamless passenger experience while enhancing economic opportunity, development, and growth in the region.

Vision

To be recognized as a best-in-class airport elevating the customer experience and exceeding stakeholder expectations, while using innovative technology and optimizing the economic prosperity of the region we serve.

Values

The Syracuse Hancock International Airport holds these values and beliefs as core to its culture, mission, and vision for its customers, staff, partners, and stakeholders:

We believe in…

Safety & Security
Health & Wellness
Community Relationships
Trust & Transparency
Reliability & Responsiveness
Innovation & Technology
Environmental Sustainability
Independent Financial Stability
Diversity & Inclusion

History
In 1927

In 1927, Mayor and former World War I flyer Charles Hanna felt that the economic future of Syracuse would be greatly enhanced by a first class airport. He considered several sites in the Syracuse area, eventually selecting Old Hinsdale Field, located in Amboy Center because the land was very level and offered room for expansion. The City of Syracuse purchased the site for $50,000 in 1926.

Airmail was first delivered to the Syracuse City Airport at Amboy beginning in 1928, and by the early 1930s, Ford Tri-motors were routinely touching down on the airport’s three grass runways. Airshows were a common attraction, usually headlining a barnstorming World War I Ace. Thousands of local citizens flocked to the airport to welcome aviation personalities, such as Charles A. Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Kate Smith, and Lowell Thomas. On August 28, 1933, aviator Wiley Post landed at the airport in his airplane, Winnie Mae.

The Outbreak of
World War II

With the outbreak of World War II, several local flying instructors at the airport were pressed into military duty and the Amboy City Airport became a flight training center. In the early days of the war, many believed that the East Coast was vulnerable to enemy attack. On December 31, 1941, twenty-four days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Office of the Chief of the Army Air Force authorized the construction of an air base at Syracuse. A 3,500-acre parcel located north of the city was selected, displacing several inhabited farms. In 1942, three 5,500-foot runways were built, at a cost to the Army of more than $16,000,000. The First Concentration Command, later known as the Air Service Command, used the base to assemble and test B-24 aircraft that flew bombing missions over Europe. The first airmen to train at the Mattydale Bomber Base were known as The Boys from Syracuse. They used the base as a staging and storage area, repairing and re-outfitting the B-17 and B-24 aircraft that had been used in World War II.

On July 22, 1946, the City of Syracuse took over the Mattydale Bomber Base on an interim lease. At the end of the city’s centennial year, in 1948, the base was dedicated as a commercial airfield. The Clarence E. Hancock Airport opened to the public on September 17, 1949. The terminal was a renovated Army Air Corps machine shop, located on Malden Road in Mattydale on the south side of the airport property.

The airport was named after
Clarence E. Hancock

The airport was named after Clarence E. Hancock, a congressman who served from 1927 to 1946 in the 36th District, which included the City of Syracuse and all of Onondaga County. Mr. Hancock’s family and friends petitioned the Syracuse Common Council to have the new airport named in his honor because of his longtime service and dedication to the citizens of Onondaga County. On September 19, 1949, a Colonial Airlines flight became the first departure from the airport, traveling to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, then on to Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., before returning to Syracuse. A short time later, an American Airlines Convair arrived from Buffalo, New York, becoming the airport’s first arriving flight. In 1949, four airlines operated at the airport: American, Buffalo, Colonial and Robinson Airlines, with a combined total of 30 scheduled flights per day.

In 1962, a new airport terminal opened in the center of the airfield to provide access to the newly planned Interstate 81, with Mayor William Walsh and Airport Commissioner Frank Pittenger present to dedicate the new terminal.

International Airport Status
Awarded in 1970

In 1970, the International Civil Airport Organization awarded international airport status to Hancock Airport. With this designation, products manufactured locally could be shipped directly overseas and Syracuse would become a port of entry for foreign travelers. With this new status also came a new name—Syracuse Hancock International Airport. By this time, more than two million people a year were using the airport.

Beginning in 2011 and finishing in 2013, the “Passenger Terminal Security and Access Improvement Project” gave SYR a much-needed efficiency upgrade and facelift. The 147,000-square foot addition connected – for the first time – the two concourses both pre- and post- security checkpoints. The project combined the previously separate security checkpoints into a single, centralized screening location on the second level of the center terminal. At a total project cost of $49.7 million, the project employed over 300 construction workers and achieved LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council. A highly-praised portion of the project that employees and passengers alike enjoy to this day is the large, floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall behind the centralized security checkpoint overlooking the airline ramp.

Terminal Improvement Project

The years 2017-2018 featured work on the $62.4 million “Terminal Improvement Project.” Completed on an aggressive timeline, the project featured a renovated terminal façade with glass curtain wall, upswept canopy to shelter pickups and drop offs in front of the terminal, and a new Grand Hall featuring an iconic stairway and renovated restrooms. The project also reconfigured the traffic lanes between the terminal and garage to improve passenger drop-off and pick-up.

Executive Director
H. Jason Terreri, IAP, A.A.E., ACE

H. Jason Terreri, IAP, A.A.E., ACE

is the Executive Director of the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority at the Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Jason is a seasoned industry veteran with more than 15 years of senior airport management experience. He previously served as the Senior Operations Project Director for Airports Worldwide, Inc., in Sanford, Florida. During his time at Airports Worldwide, Inc. Jason was responsible for airport planning and development activities, including strategic deployment of capital and guiding the efficient execution of projects at various airports within the Airports Worldwide, Inc., portfolio. Additionally, he provided guidance and oversight for Air Service Development.

Prior to his tenure with Airports Worldwide, Inc., Jason was the Assistant Director of Airports for the Horry County Department of Airports in South Carolina. In that role, he oversaw Myrtle Beach International Airport’s operations and airfield maintenance; the communications center; planning and development; and three General Aviation airports. Jason also spent nine years at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in various business development, properties, and operations roles.

Jason is a licensed commercial pilot and former flight instructor. He graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology with a degree in Aviation Management, and received a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Aviation Policy from the University of Nebraska.

In 2009, Jason earned his Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) designation from the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE). In 2012, he was recognized by Airport Business Magazine as one of its Top 40 Under 40. Having earned his International Airport Professional (IAP) designation for Airports Council International (ACI) in 2014, he was elected to the Board of Directors for the IAP Community of Practice. In 2019, Jason joined the board of the New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA), and in 2020 was appointed to the Northeast Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives (NEC/AAAE) as a board member for the At Large seat. In 2021, he joined the Onondaga Community College (OCC) Foundation Board of Directors in support of their mission to raise and invest funds on behalf of Onondaga Community College and its students. Jason currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Airports Council International – North America to help provide strategic direction and policies for the association and work in partnership with professional staff in accomplishing goals and objectives. He was elected to serve on the ACI-NA U.S. Policy Council which helps set the organization’s policy agenda and amplify the voice of airports before the federal government, and in 2024, was elected Chair of the U.S. Policy Council and began a term on the NUAIR Board of Directors to help deliver the next generation of UAS/AAM solutions for the safety, societal, and economic benefits of New York State and beyond, advancing the drone economy and its benefits to the Central New York region.

Jason is married to his wife Cara and they have three children.

Syracuse Regional Airport Authority Leadership Team

R. John Clark, Esq., General Counsel
Aaron Harris, C.M., Chief Operations Officer
Debi Marshall, SHRM-CP, PHR, Director of Human Resources
Jason Mehl, CPA, C.M., Chief Commercial Officer
Cliff Pelton, C.M., Director of Facilities
Robin Watkins, C.M., Chief Financial Officer

Contact Us

If you wish to contact airport staff, please call (315) 454-3263 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also email the airport through our Contact Us page.