That Southwest Airlines jet parked on a Hanscom Field taxiway on Friday morning was not a commercial passenger plane.
According to Jennifer Mehigan, media relations director for the Massachusetts Port Authority, Southwest Flight 8674 was a chartered aircraft from Baltimore.
There is no regular passenger service at Hanscom, but there are occasional chartered flights, including some for Boston professional sports teams.
Mehigan said occasionally chartered flights used aircraft whose external brand is a familiar passenger carrier.
Several residents reported seeing the aircraft actually or virtually through a flight-tracking app.
There seems to be an uptick in the number of A320 or larger charter planes using Hanscom. Noise reduction guidance / after hours fees haven’t changed for decades. Seems like it’s time to update guidance and tie fees to craft size, and adjust nosie classification limits to reflect improving technologies (and Lincoln labs decommissioning a distinctive r&d plane)