Study: Visitors using East Hampton s airport responsible for just 1 to 3% of spending in town newsday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
- March 1, 2021, 8:30 AM
Traffic at Teterboro Airport dropped from 140,000 in 2019 to a little more than 70,000 in 2020.
Three years ago, the fate of Coleman A. Young International Airport outside of Detroit looked bleak. The facility had fallen into disrepair and had little community support. But when officials started discussing possibly repurposing the facility for other uses, the aviation community quickly organized and began an education campaign on how it could contribute to the local community.
The result, said Alex Gertsen, director of airports and ground infrastructure for NBAA, was a “180-degree turnaround.” The city has now submitted an airport layout plan that would include lengthening the runway and a number of safety enhancement measures.
Frank Eltman / AP
A new report shows that East Hampton Airport generates nearly $78 million a year and supports more than 850 jobs in eastern Long Island.
The report was released by The East Hampton Community Alliance, a nonprofit group that was formed last year in response to efforts to close the airport.
The East Hampton Town Board can close the airport after mandates tied to federal grants expire in September.
Hamptons residents have complained for years about noise pollution from recreational planes and helicopter tours that fly to and from the airport.
The report says almost 46,000 people arrived through the airport in 2019.