The General Assembly’s Transportation Committee voted 18-3 to approve a bill that would enable the lengthening of the main runway of Tweed New Haven Airport.

A 2009 state law limited the airport’s runway to 5,600 feet. Over the past few years, the airport has sought to expand the runway’s length to at least 6,000 feet in order to attract new commercial routes. Currently, Tweed is home to daily roundtrip service to Philadelphia and weekly roundtrip service to Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Hundreds of area businesses and thousands of Connecticut residents stand to benefit from improvements at the Tweed New Haven Airport,” said New Haven Mayor Toni Harp in a statement. “I’m grateful for this endorsement of enhanced airport facilities by members of the Transportation Committee.”

The bill will head to the state House and Senate for a vote. Tweed has been the subject of renewed attention by the state in recent weeks. Gov. Ned Lamont cited upgrading Tweed as part of his proposals to strengthen the state’s transportation infrastructure while the Connecticut Airport Authority and the Tweed New Haven Airport Authority established a working group to determine how to collaborate on efforts to improve the viability of the shoreline airport.